Mononoke no Naka e
by keroberus
Summary: Sequel to Taiyou tou Tsuki: Rin returns to Sesshomaru's side after her battle with the undead. She is now haunted by her past, and her feelings for Sesshomaru leave her vulnerable to her rival Akiko. Will Rin choose to become a demon to survive? R
1. Part 1, Mononoke Hime

Intro: This is my sequel that I didn't think I'd write. I believe my previous story, _Taiyou tou Tsuki_, did drain most of my Sesshomaru-sama obsession from me. But Sesshomaru is so awesome that it's very easy to obsess about him all over again! LOL (as she clutches her Sesshomaru plush doll…). So this story really overviews some themes that I didn't get a chance to go into before; Rin's past, Sesshomaru's way of thinking about Rin, and how much he does care –but will not admit aloud—and Rin being caught in a love triangle of political intrigue, i.e. more of Akiko-sama. I know some of you were wondering about her. When it's not dramatic, it's a little fluffy. LOL. Just indulge me. But this piece is also dark and somewhat emotional, but not as involved in Sesshomaru worship as my previous story. (I've tried to make the two stories as separate as possible so you won't need to read the other one—but out of curiosity you should probably read the first to understand what happened there). Please enjoy and review. –Kero.

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**Part One: **_**Mononoke Hime**_** (Demon Princess) **

"Your tea and meal, Meiyuri _hime_-_sama_," said Yoko from behind the door as she slid the tray across the door frame and onto the tatami mats that lined Rin's private chambers. The waning afternoon sun slid into the room through the open door. From behind her embroidered silk screen Rin winced at her servant's use of her real name and the honorific title attached thereto.

"Yoko-_san_," she smiled. "I would rather you just call me Rin. It's short and simple. That would be fine," she said with a faint smile. Rin continued to water her flower pots beneath her window. Several of the wildflowers were blossoming now, delighting her with an array of yellow, blue and purple hues.

"Nothing about you is short or simple," replied the old servant. "And those are Lord Sesshomaru's instructions to the servants." Rin peered out from behind her screen at the old demon _obaa-san_ with a kindly face and contemplated what was just relayed to her.

Yoko-_san_ had been human some time ago as a nanny, midwife and caretaker of children in a local village. She died a violent death during the siege of her home town by a power hungry overlord but through her will to protect the children left behind and orphaned by the war, she became a spirit, or _mononoke_ as humans called them. Now, she was Rin's personal servant in Sesshomaru's castle and Rin felt a strong friendship with her, perhaps because of Yoko's nature to be nurturing.

As Rin looked at Yoko, she could tell that there was no lie in that statement. Sesshomaru had really ordered all the servants to treat her with respect. Rin went over to Yoko and sat down by the lacquered tray, taking one of the elegantly decorated rice cakes to nibble on.

Several months had passed since Rin returned to Sesshomaru-_sama's_ side, after she had gone out to see the world for herself and to find her place in it. Unfortunately, Rin's path outside of the barrier of Sesshomaru's castle led to her uncle, or at least the revived and still very deceased demon part of him. Rin found herself fighting an epic life or death battle between her family's clan of Yamazaki and an army of the dead. Rin managed to live through it, somehow. Naturally, her guardian and protector was also there to help.

It was then that she realized that no matter where she traveled, all paths lead back to her beautiful and illustrious Lord Sesshomaru, who was dearer to her than anything. Rin had never been in love before, but she knew that her heart swelled every time she thought of him, and on certain occasions, she would blush fiercely even upon hearing his name. She was certain that she would do anything for him, but he never asked anything of Rin, which perhaps made her admire him even more. For as long as she could remember, Sesshomaru-sama had simply let her be herself.

But when she returned to this place, his fortress, her status among those demons who resided there had changed. Instead of calling her "that girl," or "the human," or simply "Rin," they now addressed her by her formal name with a title. Rin felt even more uncomfortable now than when they simply called her "it" (a name she had acquired when she first resided in the castle.) She was certain that those in the castle did not know what to make of her return this time. Sesshomaru-sama himself had retrieved her from the outside world; after the whole castle was relieved she had finally left.

It was as if her presence and return was a broadcast throughout and around the castle telling everyone of how she now had Sesshomaru-sama's "favor." She grimaced at the thought of that term. Usually, it was a term associated with a noble lord's concubines or wives. But she and Sesshomaru had never…Rin gulped and turned beet red.

"_Hime_-_sama_, are you well?" asked Yoko. Rin did not respond. Was Sesshomaru-_sama's_ instructions to call her by her formal title a sort of affirmation of…_that_? She turned away from Yoko as she sipped her tea, trying to hide the rosy hue in her cheeks.

Rin was a little embarrassed that on their way back from Yamazaki Castle that Jaken had witnessed some rather intimate moments between herself and Lord Sesshomaru. Out underneath the gentle light of the moon and stars Rin would sleep close to him, and every chance she could get, she was always in contact with his clothing, or his hand. Surprisingly enough he actually let her do so. He was like an illusion that Rin was afraid would fade away if she dared to blink. Or else, if she wasn't with him, he would forget what he had said to her on that morning….

When she asked him whether or not he would allow her to stay at his side, he simply responded, "_Suki ni shiro_." Do whatever you like. It was not a declaration of love, granted, but it was her confirmation that he would still allow her to be beside him, in spite of the troubles she had brought him; and despite her confession of love towards him. It was not a rejection, certainly, and that was what mattered most.

Besides, his words, however lacking in emotion were always accompanied with a gentle look. She was just beginning to discover this new territory within the boundaries of what he felt for her. Rin was certain that he had never treated anyone else so tenderly. Was this love? Do _mononoke_ even feel love? This was something no one had ever explained to her. Demons did not really have a need for love, especially not Sesshomaru-_sama_, who most likely considered such a feeling a weakness. Yet she could not deny the softened looks he gave her now. He had changed. _Does this mean he intends to choose me for a… mate? _Rin asked herself, in shock of the prospect. Suddenly, she thought she could feel a nosebleed coming on. Her head was feeling a little fluffy…

"_Hime_-_sama_," said Yoko, observing her. "You do not look well at all. Is it too hot in here? Shall I help you take off your robe?" Yoko's motherly instincts had taken over and there was no stopping her until Rin let the coddling run its course. Rin sighed and resigned to let it be.

"I'm fine, Yoko," she protested as Yoko helped her out of her robe and then bustled over to her window and propped it open, and subsequently opened the sliding door that revealed a smaller private garden with a willow tree hanging over a pond of sweet smelling water lilies and lotuses. A flowering vine with purple blossoms stretched up to meet the trunk of the willow. Since she came back, arrangements were made to have her moved to a different, larger sleeping chamber. Rin had not really noticed that this door lead to such a garden. It was quite beautiful. The cool afternoon breeze brushed against her cheeks and she could feel her body temperature returning to normal.

"How are you feeling _Hime_-_sama_? Have your broken bones healed completely?" asked Yoko with concern.

"I am fine, Yoko," smiled Rin. "My bones are well healed, I think, as it doesn't hurt to move around anymore. There are no scars either, as far as I can tell. You constant attention has really helped," she said gratefully. Rin felt her left rib cage and confirmed that nothing was awry. During her last battle, she had fractured more than one rib, broken her left arm as well as received several deep cuts to her body. But Jaken had reset the arm for her while she was unconscious and her little imp demon friend had patched her up quite nicely as ordered by Sesshomaru. Rin was grateful that Jaken was present to attend to such trivial matters. She couldn't imagine Sesshomaru…. She could feel the fire under her skin again at the thought of his touching her. The cool breeze from outside wasn't helping at all this time.

"I wanted to give you some more healing elixir, but your temperature seems to be on the rise. It is not healthy to take the elixir in that state," said Yoko, feeling Rin's forehead with the back of on wrinkled hand. "And if you say you are well, then, I guess we shall let your body recuperate on its own from here on," smiled Yoko. Rin nodded in agreement as the healing elixir was not pleasant tasting at all. It was supposed to hasten the healing of broken bones and bruises but it tasted like boiled grass and dirt.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, _Hime-sama_. You have been sleeping much since you returned to us; sleeping early and rising late, barely stepping out of your chambers. This is so unlike you. Your nature is to be out in the light. But now you've grown a bit pale even. Sesshomaru-_sama_ has been worried," said Yoko with a soft smile, not meeting Rin's gaze; her hand was motioning towards the other wing of the castle beyond Rin's open door.

He was worried about her? Why did he not come to see her these many days past? Rin's thoughts drifted and stirred up a want in her that she could neither deny nor satiate.

Rin peered out across the pond in the fading daylight and slightly gasped. She had never resided on this side of the castle before, and rarely had need to visit this wing of the castle, but if she was not mistaken across the pond and beyond the stone path were Sesshomaru-_sama's_ private chambers. The lanterns inside were emitting a warm, gentle glow. Was he really that close? Amid a bubbling panic of virgin modesty Rin wondered if she could have her old room back. The one on the far, far, far end of the castle….

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Translation Key:

_Hime-sama: my lady princess_

_Obaa-san: old woman_

_Mononoke: demon/spirit_

_Sama: lord/lady (honorific title)_

_Suki ni shiro: do as you please/as you wish_


	2. Part 2, Yoru no Akumo

**Part Two: **_**Yoru no Akumo**_** (Bad Dreams of the Night)**

When Yoko stopped fussing over her and finally left her to do other things, Rin let out a sigh of relief. She was finally alone with her thoughts again. These past few months have been strange for her. Ever since her last adventure, she felt as if something had left a stain on her spirit. Yoko was right in that Rin had gotten paler, and she rarely ventured outside except with Jaken or Ah-Un. When she was alone, Rin's contemplation was primarily focused on her family. Before she met her cousin Jun'ichiro, she had no idea that her family history was so dark. Murder and death seemed to be a common theme in her family, unfortunately. She was bothered by this. In fact, her dreams of late felt more like nightmares, though she did not recall their detail. Rin was not certain if the images she did recall were imagined or if they were memories. She was too frightened of them to discover the answer.

To dissipate her fears, Rin often thought of Sesshomaru, who was never frightened of anything. His resolve was solid and she never saw him let his guard down--unless he was with her, of course. Whenever she thought of his partiality towards her, it made her feel warm and special. She always wanted to be able to see every expression. Growing up, Rin had seen him in all his moods. She had even seen the pure and awesome demon wolf side of him reveal itself beneath his deceivingly proportioned human features. Somehow, knowing that he was a demon gave her more comfort than being amid humans and her own kind. Rin found that humans were deceptively harmless on the outside and their demons were better hidden.

Rin got up to shut her windows but she did not close the door to the garden, as she wanted to watch the soft lamp light emanating from the thin paper covering of Sesshomaru's windows. Though she could not tell if there was actually any movement in his chambers, or whether he was even in there, the light gave her comfort. The soft glow was making her sleepy. Surfacing from her silent reverie, she noticed the reflection of light on the pond's surface wavered as a slight breeze danced across the water.

Rin's mind pictured a similar image, from a memory stored away from long ago. She remembered a similar reflection on the surface of a large puddle of rainwater in front of her family's cottage residence in a peaceful village far away from where she was now. She had been playing with dried leaves and floating them across the puddle left behind by the spring storms, pretending that they were ships sailing off to distant lands full of adventure and wonder. Her feet and hands were a little muddied from collecting the leaves by the banks of the nearby stream. From the corner of her eye, she could still see her mother in the window, brushing that beautiful abundance of long, soft, shiny hair. A gentle, familiar tune hummed from her lips. Her brother was nearby, chopping the firewood, as she could hear the distinctive sound of the metal axe cleaving through the fibers.

Her childish fantasies sent her leafy boats to far off magical lands. The imagined adventures abruptly ended as several shouts were heard at the far end of the village. Someone was crying out to ring the village warning bell at the top of the watch tower. _Bandits_? Is that what they were shouting? She did not even know the meaning of the word at the time.

Immediately, her father came from behind the house, scooped her up with one arm and put her in a large pickling barrel that smelled strongly of pickled _daikon_. His other arm reached for a scythe hanging on the wall of the cottage.

"_Odou-san?_" she called after her father curiously, wondering if she would ever get the pungent smell of pickles out of her clothing. Her father said nothing and put the barrel cover over her head. She was not particularly fond of small spaces, and she was going to shout out in protest when she heard the sound of thundering hooves approaching. The sound rolled closer and Rin poked a finger through the cork stopper hole to see what was happening. Rin would forever regret doing so.

People from the village were fleeing every which way, fear clearly delineating their faces. She saw a man with a scar across his face on a horse followed by a band of other rough looking men approaching her cottage. They were coming straight towards Rin's family. Angry words were exchanged between her father and the man with the scarred face. Before there was time to run, swords were unsheathed. Her father's scythe flew very fast. Rin had no idea her father could fight like that. Her brother, then only five years her senior came to assist but to no avail. In horror, Rin watched as one of the ruffians stabbed her brother through the chest from behind with a spear. Her vision had blurred from the mixture of tears and pickling vinegar that was left in the barrel. Never had she seen so much blood. The image of the red stream of dark fluid flowing in a graceful arch from his back as the spear was hastily removed was a cruel vision; and there was nothing she could do to save him. Everything seemed like it was being held by time in her mind's eye moving slowly, ever so slowly. Her brother fell where he stood and as the floor was stained red underneath him, she thought she heard his last sigh of breath as his body released his soul. Rin did not dare to breathe or move.

_Onii-san_… Her brother who had taught her how to forage food from the forest…the one who had taught her to climb trees…was gone forever.

"_KENJI_!" she heard her mother cry out. Her father cried out in anger and chopped off the arm of the one who had slain his son. But upon doing so, all of the ruffians now were fighting her father. There were just too many. He fought, but with every stroke he had to retreat. In a whirl of swords and spears clashing, Rin instinctively knew that he was doomed. When they were able to knock the scythe out of his hand, they forced him to kneel. The leader, the man with the hard face and the scar, spoke a few departing words to her father.

_Onegai, yamete._ _Someone please stop this…_

Was that her own voice speaking? Then, with his own scythe, her father was beheaded. Rin stared in wide-eyed horror as her father's head rolled to one side and out of view. She recalled the distinctive taste of bile in her mouth as she fought the urge to throw up. Rin struggled with great difficulty to make no sounds as to alert the assailants to her presence. Then, time began to flow regularly again, and Rin heard her mother scream.

They dragged her mother out of the house by her beautiful hair, and laughed at her misery.

_Yamete kudasai!_ _Why won't anyone stop this?? _Rin's tiny voice echoed in her head.

The man with the scar licked his lips as he looked upon her mother with cold unfeeling eyes. It appeared that they wanted to take her with them. Her mother suddenly revealed a pair of small sewing shears from within her sleeve and with all her might stabbed at the face of the leader. Rin was shocked by her mother's sudden will to fight; she was a woman whom Rin always knew to be calm and serene. The shears were now protruding from the man's right eye socket and he was screaming in pain. Then, another member of the group plunged a sword through her mother, causing a fountain of blood to come forth from her chest as the sword was withdrawn, and her body crumpled to the floor. Accomplishing what they had been sent to do, the group neither plundered the village nor killed anyone else. They helped their leader back on his horse and they rode away in a rush of dust and thunder.

_Uso desu…It's not true._

Rin quickly tried to get out, but found that she was not tall enough to reach the top of the barrel to climb out. She shoved her entire body's weight against the side of the pickling barrel and it finally tipped over, and Rin spilled out. She knelt by the bodies of her family members, pitifully piled together. She thought she saw her mother move. Shaking her mother's body fiercely, her mother rolled over to one side and looked up at her. The serene face was now bloodied and extremely pale, but it was still graced by a small smile.

"_Meiyuri-chan_," her mother whispered. "_Rin…__You must live on…for the rest of us. Be strong_." A sudden violent fit of coughing made her mother grimace and she had no more breath to speak. Rin clung to her mother's body.

"_Okaa-san, onegai! Please don't leave me!" _Her mother touched her face, and mouthed the word, "_Smile_." Then she gave up her spirit and died in her daughter's small hands.

_Uso desu…It's a horrible lie._

Rin could not cry; rather, she was too numb and shocked to cry. Though she felt awful on the inside, the tears would not come. One moment her family was intact and together, happy and content. The next moment, they had crossed the river of Death, leaving her on the other side. Alone. She stared at the blood that stained the grass and dirt. The puddle that she had been playing with, seemingly just a moment ago overflowed a deep red hue. The river of death was at her feet.

_Odou-san, Okaa-san, Onii-chan, don't leave me here all by myself. _It was a lie. It could not be real. Rin wanted to cry out. Why had no one helped them? She wanted to call out her anger, fear and frustration. She had no strength to cry and could not find her voice. Rin felt as though she was drowning and it became very difficult to breathe. Her heart was weeping profusely.

_No more! Make it stop! I do not want to see anymore of this! I do not want to see this! I don't want to feel this again! YAMETE! MAKE IT STOP!_

Rin sat up from her bedding and gasped for air. She had fought hard to resurface from her nightmare that held her down and her whole body ached from the fight. She was soaked in her own sweat but she had no tears. She felt terribly alone. No one was left to comfort her anguish and horror. The distinct feeling of loneliness threatened to consume her. Her hands were at her chest and clinging to her kimono. Her throat was sore. Had she been crying out in her sleep? Why was it dark? _Sou desu,_ she thought to herself. _I had fallen asleep after the lights in Lord Sesshomaru's chambers went out. And I had this dream. Is this what I have been dreaming about all this time? Is this my memory?_

She fought the sudden urge to throw up as her mind conjured the faint smell of pickles. Flinging the bedding off of her body, Rin threw open the door of her room leading to the pond and stumbled outside. With her mouth still covered by a hand, she ran through the archway towards the larger garden and the water well. Her bare feet made no sound as they stumbled across the grassy ground. Only her robes fluttered in the windless night as she hurried towards her destination. Luckily there was a bucket of water sitting on the ledge of the water well. Rin hastily dug her hands into the bucket and splashed her face several times with cold water. The refreshing chill brought her back to her senses, and the only fragrance around her now was the smell of the flowers in the garden and the fresh scent of cold dewy grass.

Rin slumped to the ground and breathed heavily. She felt exhausted and spent. In all the years since her family's murder, she had not recalled that memory at all. Her mind was numb from the vividness of the colors and sounds in her nightmare. Until now, the memory had hidden itself deep in her heart. When they buried her family for her, she did not cry. The villagers shunned her for her apparent lack of filial piety. She was known thereafter as the "smiling mute," by whomever passed her by. After that horrible day, everyone passed her by and she was alone for a very long time.

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Translation Key:

_Daikon: white radish_

_Odou-san: father_

_Okaa-san: mother_

_Onii-san: brother (older)_

_Onegai: please_

_Yamete/yamete kutasai: stop_

_Uso desu: it's a lie/unbelievable_

_Sou desu: that's right_


	3. Part 3, Tsuki no Hikari ga Tenshi

Hehe, I realize that my writing sometimes prompts the reader to have a Japanese dictionary handy. But, if you've watched enough anime, you'll understand. There's no better Japanese teacher than anime with decent subtitles (some of the fan subs are really informative!). Not to worry, I've put in a glossary in each chapter. But in my head, when Sesshomaru-sama speaks, he speaks in Japanese! Therefore, some of the things he says to Rin really are some things I think he'd say, in that deep voice and with that perfect intonation by Ken Narita-san! Ah, such a dreamy voice... --Kero.

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Part Three: _Tsuki no Hikari ga Tenshi_ (Moonlight Angel)

Rin could not believe what she was remembering. Certainly, she had known that her family was murdered, but she did not realize that she had seen all the morbid and gruesome details. Perhaps it was too terrible for her young mind to remember. But, why was she recalling this now? She deeply inhaled the night air, nearly filling every corner of her lungs, and then exhaled slowly. Rin could still feel her body quivering. The chill in the night air was seeping through her skin and reached her bones. Throughout her life, she realized that she had tried to follow her mother's last instruction to her, but now Rin's heart felt as though it would never be happy again, let alone smile.

_This is so desperately depressing,_ said Rin to herself as she slowly walked back to her chambers. Her robes were falling off her shoulders and dragging behind her. Rin's hair remained disheveled from her fitful sleep but she was beyond caring. No one else was awake at this ungodly hour. _No wonder I hate pickled daikon_, she thought to herself. In spite of what she was feeling, Rin could not cry. She was the same way when it happened. All the villagers had smirked and whispered about the girl who could not weep for the souls of her lost family.

Her steps were slow and halting as she walked down the hallway towards her open door. Did she want to return? For some reason her room seemed darker than before, and the darkness seemed to be beckoning her. The shadows seemed to inch towards her feet little by little, trying to lure her inside. She hesitated. Was she still dreaming? The sudden fear welled up inside her that she was trapped in an inescapable nightmare.

"_Rin, doushita_?" said a deep, familiar voice. The shadows retreated suddenly at the sound of his voice. Rin let out a little gasp and turned towards the direction of the speaker. Sesshomaru-sama's silhouette was outlined by the light of the half moon overhead. He was sitting on the wooden walkway outside of his room, dressed in a simple white under-kimono with a dark sash, leaning his back against one of the tall wooden pillars that upheld the tiled roof the covered walkway. His clawed feet were bare. He was looking straight ahead into the dark corridor before him.

Rin wondered if she had ever seen Sesshomaru-sama so relaxed. The absence of his armor really enhanced that effect. For a moment, Rin was so taken aback by his appearance that she could not find her voice. Then, clearing her throat a bit she stalled to think of an answer. Could she tell him? Her worst fear at that moment was his indifferent response. Would he even care about such a trifling thing as a nightmare? This was not his problem. These were her own private demons.

"It's fine if you do not wish to tell me," he said, rather indifferently. She wanted to tell him everything. His words made Rin want to respond.

"_H-Hen no yume desu_," she answered softly, without looking at him. That's right. It was just a strange dream. Something she should get over. Sesshomaru turned to look at her.

"_Yume? Akumo ja nai_?" he said, rather incredulously. He was right. It was a horrible nightmare, not merely a dream. Had he heard her crying out in her sleep? Was she really the same girl who faced down an entire army of the walking dead? Suddenly, she became a bit embarrassed. She must seem so weak in front of this _taiyoukai_.

"_Gomene, _Sesshomaru_-sama_. I did not mean to wake you." She was initially staring at her feet but Rin looked up at him curiously as he did not immediately respond. He was still looking away.

"I do not sleep," he said. Rin smiled and even let out a little laugh at the response that was so typically Sesshomaru-sama; never admitting any weaknesses.

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow that expressed something akin to "_Hen na yatsu."_ Had he said something amusing? But behind his cheerless face he was actually glad that she was smiling again. Since her return, Sesshomaru had not seen her smile once, which was very unusual for Rin. At first he thought it was attributable to her recovery from her injuries after the battle. Later, he realized it was something that ran much deeper, veiling the light in her heart. But it seemed as though she did not want him to know the source of her troubles. He felt a little annoyed. When she was a child, she rarely hid anything from him and her guilty looks would always give her away. But she was grown now, and her heart was mature and more complicated to decipher.

In one fluid movement, he got up soundlessly and walked over the gravel path to where she was and felt her forehead with the back of his hand. It was not a fever. Rin was a bit surprised by his sudden actions and stood completely still.

"Um…" she began. Rin hoped she was not blushing, and if she was, she hoped he did not see it. This was the first time that he had actually gone up to her and voluntarily touched her. His touch was not unpleasant. In fact, for such a cold demeanor, Sesshomaru-sama possessed surprising warmth in his sharply clawed hand.

"Go back inside and lie down," he commanded.

"_H-hai_," she stuttered in a small voice and went through the door to her chambers. Sesshomaru followed her inside, and she thought she noticed that the room's shadows retreat as if in awe of his presence. It was as though he had brought the moonlight inside her chambers with him. Rin lay down on her bedding again, pulling the quilt up to her chin and nervously looked over to Sesshomaru, who was closing the door behind him.

_Why is he closing the door? Surely, he doesn't intend to…stay?_ She gulped and felt her face growing hot at the thought of Sesshomaru in her chambers. Her mind was racing. _At night. With no one else around. At night. Completely alone in a room with Sesshomaru-sama. At night…._

"_Umm_…" said Rin, almost in a whisper. "Sesshomaru-_sama_…?" Rin's heart almost leaped out of her chest as her blood started to flow a little faster now and her pulse quickened. She watched as Sesshomaru sat down beside her, and reached his hand to touch her forehead and closed his eyes.

"_Kono kehai ga_…" he said in a low voice. "This aura should not be here. It is a remnant of the evil that resurrected the dead. When did this happen?" asked Sesshomaru, rather testily.

"I have felt it ever since I fought," answered Rin.

"I will dispel it," he said evenly. He closed his eyes. Rin's eyes involuntarily closed and suddenly she felt the presence of Sesshomaru inside her mind. His presence was very formidable and the intrusion would have been very frightening if she did not trust him. But she had always trusted Sesshomaru-sama completely, so she let her defenses go and felt the warm sensation of his mind enveloping hers. His will was brushing away all the shadows in her heart, like a gentle wave clearing off unwanted debris from a sandy shore, and taking the pieces back into the deep heart of the ocean. Rin felt as though her mind was being purified.

"Sesshomaru-_sama_," she whispered. Rin realized that she and she realized that her heart was beating very quickly. _He really does care for me_, she thought to herself.

"_Shizukana_," he replied gently, his eyes still closed. He had not yet finished the process. But could he hear her thoughts now as well? Rin tried to clear her mind of any awkward thoughts and tried to remain calm. Like this they remained in silence for what seemed like several minutes. After carefully sifting through the layers of her conscious and then subconscious, Sesshomaru found the cause of Rin's despair.

In his mind's eye he witnessed the gruesome murder of her family played out to the bitter end. There was a faint but distinctive scent of pickles. On these memories he cast a small spell, and should Rin recall it again, they would be clouded, foggy, and only come sparingly and not all at once. Since he had known her, she always had an innocent grin on her face. Sesshomaru had no idea that he carried such grief with her. But she would better be able to recuperate from her grief if the memory was not so strong. Grief did not suit her.

He dispelled the evil by enveloping it with his will. He would remove this from her and take it into himself. To a soulless _taiyoukai_, little nightmares such as this were nothing. Suddenly, he felt the warm glow of her inner _kokoro_ coming back in full force. It bubbled up to the surface now, racing to return as it was no longer suppressed and restrained by the darkness. He pulled away immediately to avoid being overcome by it.

When he removed his hand, Rin was already fast asleep. Her head was tilted to one side and her breathing was easier, and mind was free of any cumbersome memories. He noted that her heart was beating regularly now. His keen senses were well aware that she was both nervous and excited by his presence and proximity. Her heart beat like a _tai-ko_ drum in his mind before he cleared out the excess noise and concentrated on the task at hand. He let out a little grunt and a small smile appeared in one corner of his mouth. She was such a silly girl to confess her feelings to him so openly, so unabashedly.

Sesshomaru brushed a lock of her hair from her serene sleeping face. He was seeing her in a new light. He who had been born into darkness from demons knew that a similar darkness existed in humans. But in Rin the darkness was always suppressed by her personal light until her recent encounter with evil. Sesshomaru thought about what Saiyo-_san_ had said to her daughter before she died and wondered if that was why Rin always smiled. She was human, and by nature they were all frail and weak compared to immortals. But this girl was different.

Rin was a very strong young woman. Such qualities were rare among humans, from what Sesshomaru had seen of them. He realized that he made the unconscious decision to protect her because of this rarity. As he watched her sleep, the last remnants of what were cold and callous in his heart melted away like snow in the presence of a spring sunrise.

Humans were so fleeting. They live a lifetime in a blink of an eye for an immortal. But he wanted to preserve and protect this light for as long as it would last. There, in her chambers dimly lit by pale moonlight that gently touched his silvery head, Sesshomaru made a silent pledge to the sleeping Rin.

000

Rin awoke from a dreamless sleep when the early morning light stirred her awake. Taking a deep breath Rin opened her eyes. Rolling over, Rin's muddled train of thought considered going back to sleep. It seemed that she had not had such a good night's rest in a long time. She was pondering this subject when she suddenly recalled the previous night's events. Rin shot up in her bed and looked around. He was gone. She slowly lay back down and stared at the ceiling beams. Rin recalled being disturbed by an awful nightmare of her family's murder, but the details of which were no longer distinct. She thought about how Sesshomaru had come into her chambers last night and blushed. _I cannot believe I thought he was going to…_Rin let out a little laugh in spite of herself. She could not recall exactly what he did, but she felt that he had saved her again, somehow.

"'Ous, Rin-chan," said Jaken a bit gruffly and disinterestedly from behind her sliding door. "_Asagohan desu._"

"Jaken?" she asked curiously, sitting up in bed. "Why are you bringing my breakfast to me? Where is Yoko?" Jaken, one of the higher servants of the household, usually only catered to Sesshomaru-sama's needs, unless instructed otherwise.

"It is certainly not by choice," he yawned. Rin smiled. Jaken was very frank with her, but that is what she loved about him. Jaken opened the door and slid the lacquered tray through the doorframe. Rin could smell the sweet rice porridge and the freshly cut fruit from where she was sitting. "Yoko-san was sent on a special errand by Sesshomaru to collect sleeping potion herbs. I can't imagine why, but then, that leaves me to serve the princess breakfast…" he grumbled.

"Did you already serve Sesshomaru-sama?" asked Rin, coming out from behind her painted screen and making her way to her breakfast.

"Of course I did! But he did not want any. It looks like he stayed up all night and now my illustrious Sesshomaru-sama has returned to his chambers to get more rest. I wonder what he was doing last night?" asked Jaken, curiously. The sudden thought of his master venturing off at night without him made him suddenly sullen. He took a slice of peach from her tray and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Hey, that's mine," grumbled Rin.

"Too bad," grunted Jaken. "It is the least you can do for making me get up and serve you this early in the morning. I have no problems serving Sesshomaru-sama. But if I am at least nice to you, I can stay in his good graces." Rin emptied out her fruit bowl onto the tray and hit Jaken over the head with it. A nice, shiny round bump formed on his bald green scalp.

"_Ah sou_. See the cruelty I endure for our exalted Sesshomaru-sama?" sighed Jaken, weeping false tears.

Rin completely ignored him and continued to eat her porridge as Jaken sat in front of the door mumbling to himself how mistreated he was in this castle. She was glad for his company. But thinking back to the prior night, her thoughts became troubled again. Had Sesshomaru kept vigil over her the entire night? Rin blushed at the thought. She imagined a moonlit silhouette of Sesshomaru-sama in a corner of her room, golden eyes glinting in the faint light. She wished he had stayed long enough for her to thank him for whatever it was he did for her. Rin wanted to see him, but restrained herself from being so burdensome, and continued to eat her breakfast in silence.

"Oh, by the way, Rin. I thought you should know that Akiko-sama and her father are planning to visit today," sighed Jaken. Rin nearly choked on her porridge.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"That demoness is probably not giving up so easily on Sesshomaru-sama. You should best be on your guard," her friend warned. "If you want, I can get your armor ready." Rin nearly dropped her bowl, but caught it again just in time.

"I…I don't think it will come to _that_…will it?" she asked. Jaken laughed.

"Probably not. But I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her," he advised. Rin laughed at her companion of diminutive size.

"I'm sure it won't be _that_ bad, Jaken-sama," she replied. But something in her heart told her otherwise. Akiko-sama was a beautiful demon with long, flowing hair and a pale perfect face. She was graceful and charming and if Rin was not in the picture, Akiko would make a fitting mate for someone as exalted as Sesshomaru-sama. When last she met them, Akiko-sama and her father were pointedly trying to make a mockery of her in front of Sesshomaru-sama. Rin wondered about Akiko-san and her father's reaction if they heard that Rin's room had been moved to a more intimate distance to Lord Sesshomaru's chambers. She sighed. Today was certainly going to be an interesting day.

* * *

Translation Key:

_Doushita: what is it?_

_Hen no yume desu: a strange dream_

_Akumo ja nai: wasn't it a nightmare/you mean nightmare, don't you?_

_Gomene: I'm sorry/I apologize_

_Sama: honorific form of Lord/Lady_

_Taiyoukai: Great Demon Lord_

_Hen na yatsu: strange fellow (weirdo)_

_An-no/anno: um…_

_Kono kehai ga: this feeling/aura (is)…_

_Shizukana: be still/quiet_

_Kokoro: heart/mind_

_Taiko: Japanese instrument/artform; literally "big drum"_

'_Ous: short slang/disrespectful form of ohaiyou gozaimas/good morning_

_Asogohan desu: (it's) breakfast (time)_

Ah sou: Oh, I see


	4. Part 4, Shittobukai no Hime

So here is part four, written primarily on a peaceful Sunday afternoon, which is a rare occurrence in my life, _imadoki (nowadays)_. I pictured this chapter as the calm before the storm before the real story picks up. So far, I've only caught glimpses in my mind of what it's like for Rin to live there with Sesshomaru—like several snapshots. This chapter also came out much longer than the others, but that's because I wanted to get some background into it. Keep in mind that over all, _Mononoke no Naka e/Within the Demon_ is my tribute to my favorite Inuyasha episode #162. I love that episode!

-K

* * *

**Part Four: ****Shittobukai no Hime**** / Jealous Princess**

Akiko looked down at the single daisy jutting out onto the wooden walkway apart from its kindred in the flower bed by her delicate silk slipper. Its cheery face leaned towards her as if in silent greeting. With one step, Akiko squashed it beneath her heel, giving a slight twisting motion to smear it into the walkway. Such a common flower had no place in such a marvelous garden of perfectly tended and carefully bred roses and lilies, irises, orchids and lotuses.

Her servant had heard that Rin had planted those flowers there, and relayed this to his mistress, which was why Akiko hated them so. She looked up when she heard a nearby commotion from within the palace and saw Lord Sesshomaru and several of his attendants approaching. Her father next to her, dressed to the nines in his finest robes, straightened up a bit and coughed uncomfortably. Their ensemble also coughed and fretted with their sleeves as the great Inu leader approached. Everyone was well aware that they were here to ask him for his assistance in dealing with the northern wild wolf demon tribe impinging on their land's borders. Lady Akiko's tribe was small, and only distantly related to Sesshomaru's bloodline. There was no direct reason for Sesshomaru-_sama_ to help them. Ordinarily they would not even bother asking the favor, however, her father's health was ailing. Their enemies were well aware of this. They would not be able to hold their own for long, which was why it was so important that she be able to strike a treaty through marriage with Sesshomaru-_sama_.

But one afternoon not long ago, her father had given up hopes of that proposition ever coming to fruition when rumor had it that Sesshomaru-_sama_ had chosen a human girl to reside with him in his palace. At the time, Akiko and her father made their first visit to the Inu clan and its leader to inquire after a possible marriage between Akiko and Sesshomaru. But Lord Sesshomaru was not entirely devoted to the idea, and intended to keep his guests for a fortnight while he thought it over.

When she first met the human, Akiko was taken aback by her beauty and her talents. She imagined Rin to be something like a country maid, unlearned and dirty. However, this was not so. Rin was a beautiful flower with thorns. Akiko's intuition told her that this was a girl to be reckoned with. Perhaps this was why Sesshomaru-_sama_ had taken such a fancy to her. She was so different from the common rabble outside of the Inu territories. In fact, Akiko had learned from the retainers of the Inu Clan that Inu-Taisho, the current leader's sire, had once chosen a human princess for a mate, thus spawning the half-breed abomination Inuyasha. It appeared that Sesshomaru was following in the great leader's footsteps as well. Word had come to her ears that this Rin was also a member of an ancient human bloodline and a princess in her own right.

_You are just full of surprises, are you not, girl?_ thought Akiko as her servants helped her straighten out the train to her long, elegant kimono. Damn her.

But they were not equal – not to Akiko…not by a long shot. This time, Akiko had to see for herself why he had not yet cast out the human, otherwise she would find a way…. Akiko never lost to anyone and she was not about to lose now. She could not believe that such an illustrious demon as Sesshomaru-_sama_ would actually succumb to devoting himself to a filthy human girl. Akiko could not believe it. Akiko would not believe it.

"Sesshomaru-_sama_," said her father, bowing low until the front hem of his robes touched the floor. Sesshomaru nodded in recognition.

"Sesshomaru-_sama_," said Akiko in her sweetest, most trained feminine voice.

"Akiko-_san_," said Sesshomaru with a nod.

"I presume that you are visiting me regarding your border dispute?" he asked quietly, looking away with disinterest in his eyes down to the roses beside his white sleeve.

"Y-yes, my Lord," responded her father nervously. "I am honored that you take such interest in our trifling matters-" Sesshomaru raised a hand to silence the noble.

"You make the incorrect presumption that I am interested," Sesshomaru said flatly. "I have merely heard of such news from my own vassals." Akiko and her father looked uncomfortably at one another.

"Father, will you allow me to speak to Lord Sesshomaru alone as representative to our clan?" asked the princess.

"Yes, of course. I will wait in the reception hall for you, daughter." The noble bowed stiffly and left the gardens. Akiko could not meet his golden gaze. For a moment, only the sound of falling water of the fountain in the center of the garden endured between them.

"Protecting our borders should interest you, my Lord," said Akiko to break the silence, walking closer towards him. "Were you not once interested in joining our two territories?"

"If I should attain your territory by default when your enemies are bested by my powers, the result is the same and the means matter not to me," said Sesshomaru unfeelingly.

"Then I am to understand that you have considered and are rejecting the marriage proposal offered by us?" she asked between gritted teeth. Akiko's blood was beginning to boil within her. How dare he speak to her like this? She who stood proudly in a line of beautiful demons on her mother's side of ancient bloodlines. She who could make demons die for her with just a look. She who was the most attractive demon in all the territories.

"I have, and I am," he responded coldly. He looked directly at her, and Akiko shrank a bit in front of him. Some of her nerve suddenly retreated into the darkness of her heart. But she could feel the power in his eyes, and this excited her greatly.

"Then you have found a suitable mate and match then?" asked Akiko feigning her disinterest. Her eyes darted over to the corner of the garden where she thought she saw moment among the greenery. Was the little wretch watching? _How quaint_, thought Akiko to herself.

"Whether that is so is no longer your concern. I have given you my answer," responded Sesshomaru. Just then, Akiko slid up in front of him and leaned in to face him so that their bodies were almost touching.

"There is no other demoness who exists in our world who would be a better match for you than I," she whispered, and leaned in to kiss him. But before their lips could touch, Sesshomaru turned his head and Akiko's lips brushed his cheek. The princess was thoroughly insulted at this point and the color of her skin showed it. But her gesture reached its intended target. Rin's head peeked out from behind a tree trunk and Akiko reveled in the girl's look of complete shock. Akiko pretended not to see her.

"Forgive me for being so bold, my Lord," said Akiko dropping a low and graceful curtsey. She softly stepped back and turned to rejoin her father in the reception hall.

After a moment, Sesshomaru wiped his cheek with a sleeve. He resisted the urge to call his servants to prepare a mineral bath for him at this very instant. Akiko-_san_ was not a woman to trifle with. In her own right she was a very powerful demon, even more so than her father. The females of her line have always been stronger. Under different circumstances, Akiko may very well have been an important ally. But now, all thoughts of joining with her clan through marriage were non-existent. Akiko would find a strong mate for herself and when the time came, Sesshomaru would have to battle them both if they lived through the current assault from her enemies. He let out a slow steady breath. He did not regret his decision.

"Rin," he said, without looking in her direction. There was a rustle in the bushes behind him and the slow steps of bare feet on the river rocks that lined his garden floor. Her feet made their way back onto the wooden walkway after they crunched and rustled through the brush. Rin stepped silently towards him and stopped when she was three feet away and looked at the ground. Sesshomaru turned to face her and saw there was a slightly uncomfortable and guilty look on her face.

"How are you feeling?" he asked quietly.

"I am feeling better, Sesshomaru-_sama_. I never thanked you for…whatever it was you did for me last night," she said haltingly with a slight blush.

"Do not be troubled by darkness, Rin." Sesshomaru brushed the back of his hand against her face. "It does not suit you." Rin felt light-headed at his touch and his words. Her heart and mind were racing searching to explain what it was exactly that he felt for her and she looked into her heart for a response. But before she could find any words on her tongue, Sesshomaru walked away in the direction of the reception hall to take his leave of the visitors. Rin resisted the urge to drop all decorum and run after him and tell him what she really felt. She wanted nothing more at that moment than to catch up with him, stop him that instant and embrace him from behind and rest her head on his back.

Rin returned to the inner chambers of the castle and the garden between her private quarters and Sesshomaru-_sama_'s. The sky was growing dark and the canopy of stars was slowly spreading across the hemisphere. Yoko-_san_ had already laid out her evening meal for her, but she was not hungry in the least. Rin did not understand what it was she was feeling, but the thought of Akiko-_san_ kissing Sesshomaru troubled her greatly. A soft pressure had been building in her heart and she suddenly found herself angry.

Pulling out her flute from her obi, Rin began to play. At first it was a cheerful village song she had heard on her travels with Jaken and Sesshomaru-_sama_. But when the music failed to improve her spirit, she stopped in mid song and felt even more flustered. These emotions were so new to her; she hardly knew what to do with them. There was no one around to listen or counsel her. Rin suddenly wished that her mother was still alive. The thought made her melancholy, but deep in her heart she recalled a tune her mother used to sing.

Rin raised the flute to her lips once again and played a gentle, soft tune that reminded her of the misty lake that her village overlooked. In the sunset, she recalled the fishermen bringing in their final catch of the day, and the sound of their nets rubbing against the side of their boats as they pulled them in. It was almost every day at this time that Rin would hear her mother's voice, carried by the wind, this soft melody calling her and her brother home to supper. She remembered that her mother was never much of a cook, so her father usually prepared the meals. It made her smile inwardly as she recalled this. But they were always happy because they were together, that was certain. The notes from her flute carried themselves up and down as Rin effortlessly recalled the whole tune. Both the song and the scene were entirely human in sentiment and very simple. But it quieted her heart and made her long to see her mother again. Rin could not recall what she looked like, now. Rin continued to play the refrain, adding some of her own variations and accents to mimic the call of the water birds as the sun set. The trill and warble of the birds gave way to the melody again, now softer as the sun had set and the stars were visible.

Her song was suddenly interrupted when she heard footsteps nearby. Rin opened her eyes and looked up to see the servants lighting the lamps. Behind them was Sesshomaru-_sama_, who was starting at her intently. Rin became a bit embarrased at the thought of playing such a song to Sesshomaru. Little did she know that Sesshomaru had already heard this melody the night before, when he searched into her mind for the source of her despair. He remembered the tune as that which was sung by her mother and was heard through the window of their small home.

When he heard Rin play it, Sesshomaru was struck with something he was not accustomed to feeling. It moved him to pity. He wondered if this was something that he father may have felt for humans while he was alive. There was much about his own father that he did not know, though he would not admit that he regretted this. For some reason, the song from Rin's flute made him think these things.

"Do not stop on my account," he said quietly. Rin said nothing and only stared at her bare feet as they dangled over the side of the wooden walkway where she sat, her kimono skirts flowing out in all directions. Sesshomaru turned to enter his chambers as his servant opened the sliding doors and stopped in mid step.

"Would you like to dine with me, Rin?" he asked tentatively in a low voice.

"_Hai_," responded Rin rather quickly. She was shocked at the speed of her response and let out a little gasp and covered her mouth with a sleeve. "_Onegaishimashita_," she added quietly to be more polite. He ordered the servants to bring her tray out where she was sitting, and they added his meal tray to hers with a cushion for him. They ate silently side by side under the stars, lost in their own thoughts.

000

Akiko rested in her sedan behind the flowing orange silk curtains as her servants carried her father and farther away from the Inu Castle and stronghold. Her father was muttering to himself on his demon horse. She ignored him for the most part. There was not much conversation to be had when he was in this state. Akiko did not see how it was such a big deal, after all. Though she craved Sesshomaru's power and prestige, hungered for it even, she could still make do with a demon of lesser title but considerable strength as a mate. This was the lot of her mother, and her mother's mother. They could never wed their equals. Akiko did not see it as a terrible thing that this should continue in her generation.

What was of concern to Akiko was vengeance. She, a high demon in her own right has officially been snubbed by the leader of the Inu Clan. What was worse was that she had lost to a human. This was insupportable. Akiko could not help but remember the shocked look on the girls face in the garden. Rin was turning out to be such a sensitive creature. Was Sesshomaru-_sama_ really into those sorts of girls? It made Rin so weak and frail. Humans were always so drawn in by their emotions, Akiko had observed. It was such a highly overrated trait. They also did not think very well when clouded by their emotions. This was an advantage to demons as they had no real emotions to speak of.

"If only there was some way I could get you back for the insult…an eye for an eye, afterall…" said Akiko quietly.

"Sorry what was that, dear?" asked her father, looking up from his long and tiresome bout of thinking. Akiko knew that thinking was not her father's forte.

"Nothing, Father. Just thinking aloud," she replied.

"Do not fret, dear. We shall find you a suitable mate still, you shall see. And if Sesshomaru will not give us the honor that is due, then we shall thumb our noses at him the next time he needs a favor. But I doubt that shall ever be the case for us," he sighed resignedly.

"You never know, Father. You never know," smiled Akiko.

* * *

Translation key:

_Imadoki: nowadays_

_Hai: yes_

_San: sir/madam_

_Sama: lord/lady_


	5. Part 5, Ame Ni Au

Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! Such kind words! (sniff, sniff). _Arigatou, minna san! _Some of you had some really interesting suggestions which I couldn't help but use in my chapters. It is odd to devote an entire chapter to someone other than Rin, but then, here it is. I think you will all like it, though..._Dewa mata_! --Kero

* * *

**Part Five: _Ame ni Au_ (Caught in the Rain)**

The droplets of midday rain fell to the ground, disturbing the image of the upside-down world reflected in the small pools of water that formed on the dirt road. Akiko's servants picked their way carefully through the road as to not disturb their mistress in her sedan. Akiko however would not have noticed anything about the world beyond the dampened silk curtain of her sedan as she was deep in thought. Her mind was preoccupied with the thoughts of a human girl and Akiko's heart writhed at the thought of how this human girl had bested her.

"Akiko-_sama_," said one of her servants. "We have reached the cross-roads." They faithfully awaited their mistress' response. It was not until Akiko heard from behind her curtained reverie the anxious tones of humans trying to scurry out of her way like vermin before a hungry dog that she returned to the present. With the fan in her hand, she pushed aside the curtain to peer out at the iridescent white sky above and noticed it was raining.

"_Ame ga fute imasu_," said Akiko disinterestedly. Her servants looked at one another uncomfortably. It had been raining for quite some time. Did she not realize that they had stopped several times along the way, first to don their rain gear, and then to avoid the massive intermittent downpours of the storm? Much to their dismay, the looming clouds overhead had been following them for much of the journey. Had the meeting with Sesshomaru-sama finally turned their princess insane that she noticed nothing?

"_Hai, sou desu_," agreed her servant. Akiko looked around and saw that most of the humans had already scattered from the road and into the forest to hide. She let out a mirthless laugh. Surely the sight of four ogres dressed in straw hats and rain cloaks carrying a richly decorated sedan was not something they saw every day. Her two spear carrying guards were more humanoid in posture and size, but hid under dark cloaks covering much of their features. Akiko's party must have been a daunting and unwelcome intrusion into their formerly calm and uneventful day. The thought of bringing terror to humans gave her comfort.

Up ahead was a tea stand with a large canopy that kept its customers from being bothered by the rain. Akiko motioned to her ogres that they should take some rest beneath it. Her demon nature hated the rain and anything to do with water. The servants complied and much to the tea stand owner's dismay and horror, they parked the sedan right under his canopy.

"_H-Hai, dozo irrasshaimase_…C-can I help you…_okyaku-sama_?" stammered the tea stand owner bowing low to one of Akiko's guards. The guard silently waved his hand to dismiss the owner. The old man took a quick glance at the beautiful maiden coming out of the sedan but he dared not look too long. The owner bowed again and returned behind the safety of his counter. Akiko surveyed the quaint little stand. It annoyed her. If the wooden posts and canopy were not already soaked, she would set it alight and burn it as a parting gift to the owner.

But alas, it seemed the tea stand would remain to sell another day's worth of barley green tea. Her eye then caught sight of two men, apparently samurai judging by their armor and double swords they carried at their sides. They alone remained sitting when no other humans were in sight. By now, even the owner was crouching low behind his counter praying his religious mantras for divine protection. The two men remained sipping their tea silently ignoring the intrusion of the demons. This intrigued her. Had her father not parted ways with her and told her to wait by the cross roads while he visited a distant relative and potential ally nearby, she would not have bothered with these two men. But now, Akiko's time was idle, and she hated being idle.

"You there, _ningen-yo._ Why are you not frightened of me?" asked Akiko. The samurai looked up at her but said nothing.

"Are humans so rude as to not respond when a question is being posed?" asked Akiko, slightly agitated.

"Are demons so rude as to intrude upon someone else' conversation?" asked one of them. Akiko's eyes narrowed at the one who had spoken. He was large, even for human standards, and wore a patch over one eye. The good eye was decorated with an ugly scar that ran the length of his forehead to his chin. It was a miracle he could still see. He looked at her from head to toe with his good eye and snickered, as if undressing her with his sick and twisted mind. From beneath her richly embroidered sleeve flew a shiny silver dagger that missed the man's head by a hair's width and tuck itself into the post behind him with a metallic sound.

"Be careful how you disrespect me, human. I never miss my targets," she sneered. "I might just take your other eye for my own pleasure." There was something peculiar about this human. Something sinister that smelled of demon. Akiko used her mind's power to scan him from head to toe when her glance stopped over his pocket. He was holding a powerful relic. Is that why he was fearless? Akiko noticed that both of them had already placed their hand on their swords at their sides, their thumbs ready to cock their _katanas_ and draw to kill. She was slightly amused.

"You carry a source of great and evil power with you, human. I know it is there in your pocket. My demon senses are drawn to it. May I see it?" asked Akiko politely in even and articulate tones.

"I am afraid I cannot do that," answered the man with mock politeness.

"Then, I must insist," smiled Akiko devilishly. Her voice had fallen to a whisper and before the two men realized what she had said, Akiko disappeared before them. With her demonic speed and strength she had already leaped up and was ready to strike them with deadly accuracy. The two men looked up and saw her coming down at them with her claws extended and her skirts twisting and billowing out around her like petals to an extremely poisonous flower. The one with the eye patch dodged out of the way leaving his comrade open for the kill. Akiko had but to strike once and the man fell dead on the floor with deep claw marks from head to toe. A deep pool of red formed around him. Before Akiko had time to admire her work, the other had drawn his _katana_ and swung it towards her.

"_Sono jitsu wa gehin desu_," smirked Akiko in a low, growling tone before she disappeared and reappeared behind him. Samurai swordsmanship was always so unrefined. She attacked him from behind and managed a deep gash across his back. The man stood still for a moment and then faced her and smiled. Akiko then understood that the relic made him immortal. He then charged her with lightning speed, catching her by surprise. Akiko lost her footing as she dodged, but not in time for the blade to force her to part with a lock of her hair. She landed crouched down and sliding across the wet dirt floor. The looked up and sneered at him.

"That relic of yours is impressive. No wonder that you are loathe to part with it." Akiko stood up and focused her complete attention to her opponent. She was deadly serious now.

"As long as I have this, I am your equal," laughed the man coarsely.

"It is the relic that makes you strong, _baka_," smiled Akiko. "Without it, you are only—" but before she could finish the man lunged for her again. His form, once human, almost instantly grew into demon form. His sword, also demonic, burst into a giant blade of fire. His skin became red as blood and his size nearly quadrupled, increasing his speed and strength. Akiko could see that the relic was glowing in his pocket. In an instant Akiko transformed into her true _inu_ form: a graceful white canine. With her massive jaw and incisors she snapped at his sword arm, severing it from his body. Then with her razor sharp claws she sliced at his side. The relic, a small stone that glittered like a blood red ruby, parted with him and flew out with a fantastic spray of blood landing in a muddy puddle with a splash. The man cried out in pain and vengeance but his body returned to its normal human size as he fell to his knees. To finish the task, Akiko opened her mouth and let out a torrent of green demon fire from within her belly. Within the blink of an eye all that remained of her opponent was a heap of bones and ash. As quickly as she had transformed, Akiko returned to her human form, brushing the rain off of her clothes.

"—dust," said Akiko, finishing what she intended to say. From under her sleeve she drew out a silk handkerchief and dabbed the blood from the side of her mouth and looked around. In her attack Akiko had burnt everything around her, including the tea stand, to a cinder. The charred figure of the tea stand owner, still behind the counter, crouched low, still in mid prayer. Her servants came around with the sedan to protect their mistress from the rain. As a fire demon, Akiko did hate the feel of water. Her guards retrieved the relic and presented it to her.

"Excellent," smiled Akiko examining the coarse ruby. "If I am not mistaken, this is the eye pearl of a dragon. No wonder. It gave that filthy human demon such powers and immortality." She closed her eyes as she searched through the power of the stone. In her mind she could see the history of the stone flashing in brief scenes before her. It was as if the stone was still connected to the souls of everyone who had ever possessed it. The stone had always changed owners through acts of violence. The man with the eye patch had stolen it from a monk after brutally killing him. A dragon's pearl was most likely white and crystalline; however the history of bloodshed surrounding this stone had turned it to a red demonic hue. Of the most interest to her was the death scene and murder of an entire family at the hands of the stone's last keeper. The stone flashed an image of a frightened and tiny girl child with familiar eyes. The dragon's eye sees all and remembered all.

"_Omoshiroi_," smiled Akiko with surprise. "I see that you and Rin have met before." The red stone pulsed in her hand, as if it had a heart beat. Akiko laughed as she returned to the cover of her curtained sedan. _This day was not so boring after all_, she thought to herself. Already the wheels in her head were turning with calculating delight.

* * *

Translation key:

_Sama: Lord/Lady (honorific)_

_Ame ga fute imasu: It is raining_

_Hai, sou desu: Yes, that is so_

_Dozo irrashaimasse: welcome_

_Okyaku sama: honored guest_

_Ningen: human_

_Katana: Japanese sword w/ curved blade_

_Sono jitsu: that/your technique(s)_

_Gehin desu: is/are vulgar_

_Baka: idiot_

_Inu: dog_

_Omoshiroi__: interesting_


	6. Part 6, Mizu Kagami

So here it is! Chapter 6! As I look at my Comic-Con convention exclusive Sesshomaru figurine 1223/2000 that my friend stood in line for me to get, I wonder, "If it bothers Sesshomaru-_sama_ when Rin is in danger, what is it about Rin that he wants to protect?" Is it obligation or some other odd devotion? Surely a demon of his caliber has better things to do, (like establish his empire) than watch over a little girl? _Omoshiroi…_ I am squeezing the cheeks of my Sesshomaru plush doll for inspiration….

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**Chapter Six: **_**Mizu Kagami**_** (Water Mirror) **

Rin had watched Ungai-_sama_'s face twitch in annoyance at her words. He was trying to fathom her and was surprised at her disobedience to an elder. She was after all, a wild little girl who, having been out of human society for quite some time, was predominantly raised by _mononoke_. The monk's grip around her waist tightened. She would travel the path of Light whether she wanted to or not: he would not relent.

"_Hanashite! Hanashite_! _I don't want to return to the human village! I want to live in the mountains! I can take care of myself! I can!_" Her tiny child voice sounded hoarse in her memory. At that time, it was her desperate wish to live away from humans. Humans were terrible creatures. They killed and hurt each other without any particular reason aside from killing and hurting. But the scariest thing was that on the outside they may look normal, but their evil was hidden from view. Their malicious intent remained out of sight until too late, and death follows like a shadow after the violence, veiling everything—especially the living who are left behind.

Rin's family could attest that. If souls could speak, her family would voice objections to being slain so needlessly…so heartlessly. Demons like Sesshomaru-_sama_ on the other hand have nothing to hide. They are what they are, and yet despite their fearsome appearances there can also be kindness. Before meeting Sesshomaru-_sama_, Rin had never known kindness from humans other than in her family. Rin would not go back to a human village only to be beaten, teased, used and mistreated. Never again.

"_There is nothing out here for you, girl_," said Ungai-_sama_. "_You should be with your own kind_," lectured the monk gently. She was likely the most stubborn child he had ever encountered.

"_No! He will come for me_!" she cried. "_He will come!_"

"_Who will_?" asked Ungai-_sama_ puzzled. He must have thought her out of her mind.

"_He always comes for me!_" insisted Rin. Her eyes darted wildly about the clearing and into the forest surrounding them, the darkness hastening to envelop them with the passing of the last rays of the setting sun.

"_Sesshomaru-sama! Sesshomaru-sama!_" Rin was feeling desperate at that point. He should have come for her by now.

As if on queue, Ungai felt the presence of something sinister and focused his blessed scepter in that direction. Rin could feel the magical energy gathering about the holy man as he sent the scepter flying out towards the darkened forest. The scepter flew as quick as light and caused an explosion that cleared away the trees and brush within its path. Rin was still trembling even after the earth had ceased shaking. Then, stepping out of the dust and smoke was Seshomaru, calm, confident and quiet. Rin's childish heart was enamored of the sight as she cried out his name. At the same time, Ungai-_sama_ held her close to him, instinctively and protectively. Rin knew that he was not about to cede her to Sesshomaru without a fight. In his perception, Ungai-_sama_ was battling for her soul.

In her surprise and disbelief Sesshomaru did not draw his sword in the entire stand off, though tempted he may have been. Ungai's disciples brought forth their most powerful Bhuddist formations to exorcise him, but Sesshomaru-_sama_'s tactics were purely defensive. There came a point when Rin suspected that he was tempted to attack. In the struggle to free himself from their barrier, Rin thought she saw his true demon nature. She would not forget it even as she grew up, despite the fact she had only seen it once.

Still a child at the time, Rin was well aware of Sesshomaru's capabilities of turning them into ash and bone, or cleaving their bodies into bloody pieces with his razor sharp claws. She almost thought that he would do it when his eyes glowed demonic red and the markings on his cheeks stretched into jagged angry streaks across his face. His brow was wrinkled with such fury and incense that Rin closed her eyes and prayed for Ungai-_sama_'s sould.

But the worse did not happen. To her amazement Sesshomaru soundly defeated them without barely lifting a finger and simultaneously spared them.

Looking back at it, in that moment before Sesshomaru reversed Ungai-_sama_'s attack with the power of his will and it rebounded against his assailants, Sesshomaru was looking directly at her. What was the expression on his face? He was not fighting to defend himself. Sesshomaru-_sama_ was fighting for her freedom.

It was then that Rin realized that just as humans are born with the favor of the gods but are capable of succumbing to darkness; demons are born damned but are capable of redemption. Rin suspected that Ungai-_sama_ did not understand that subtlety.

When the dust settled, Sesshomaru had turned to her then as she approached him cautiously. At the time she was a bit uncertain when she looked up at him. His fearsome nature had been inadvertently revealed to her. Just like the moon, there were two sides of him. One was kind, quiet and mostly disinterested in everything around him; the other was fierce, ferocious and demonic. Rin had an equally healthy respect for both, but she desperately needed some reassurance in that moment. He looked very stern as he surveyed the bodies lying on the ground, some completely unconscious, others moaning as they tried to move. Rin wanted to stay by his side, but one word or command could change her happy existence back to a world without Jaken, without Ah-Un…without him.

"_Rin," _he said to her sternly. His face was still eyeing the downed Ungai-_sama_ and his priests cautiously. There would not be another attack from them. Their prayer strings had all broken and all around Rin saw shiny round beads scattered across the ground, reflecting the moonlight. He looked down and she knew that he was not angry with her.

"_Suki ni shiro,"_ he replied in a rather exasperated tone and turned to walk away. It was by far the happiest moment in her young life. Sesshomaru-_sama_ was letting her do as she pleased. He was giving her permission to be herself.

Rin smiled at her memory of that night as she continued to weave the basket in her hand. She dipped another frond bound twig into a large bowl of water at her side. The moisture made the twigs more flexible they longer they soaked. A cool morning breeze picked up locks of her hair as it came in from her chamber door, which had been open since Jaken came to deliver her meal.

The little imp's pretense was that Yoko was busy with her chores and so he thought to assist in the morning routine. But Rin knew that since Sesshomaru had left the palace several days ago, Jaken had been quite lonely. As a gesture of peace he even bribed her with her favorite fruits for breakfast. Rin could not help but smile at her friend. As she grew older Rin was able to curb most of her Sesshomaru worship to near unnoticeable levels whereas Jaken seemed to only get worse over time. Very often, she would have to hit him over the head to bring him back to his senses when he became starry-eyed as he spoke of Sesshomaru-sama. Rin surmised that Jaken had several statues and portraits of Sesshomaru in his room, but she had yet to confirm her suspicions.

Rin yawned and tried to bend the last twig into place. She miscalculated the flexibility of the wood and it splintered and snapped, lashing back at the hand that tried to force it into place. A thin red line formed on Rin's skin as she examined it. Drops of blood began to form. In her silent contemplation of the wound, she recalled the desperate voice of the monk speaking to her for the final time.

"_Matte!"_ Ungai-_sama_ had pleaded as she started off in Sesshomaru's direction. "You cannot follow him," he insisted. Rin stopped in her tracks had looked at him questioningly.

"_There is a definite line that is drawn by Heaven between the world of humans and the world of demons," _said Ungai-_sama_. _"He is mononoke; only misfortune and despair will you find if you follow him."_

"This must be the line you were speaking of, Ungai-_sama_," sighed Rin as a single drop of blood welled up and dripped onto the basket. No matter how hard she tried to ignore it, since that night Rin was constantly aware of a clear dividing line between herself and Sesshomaru-_sama_. This was the reason why Sesshomaru-_sama_ always had to come to her aid. Ever since she was attacked by wolves that fateful day, Rin was aware of her mortal frailty. No matter how long she lived, no matter how many wrinkles would accumulate and turn her into an _oba-san_, she would not be able to remain with Sesshomaru-_sama_ forever. This was not only an ongoing fear but a certainty. It was as certain as Sesshomaru-_sama_ always coming to her side when she was in need. Rin was going to die someday, and it pained her every time she thought of it. Who would bring him flowers every morning? Who would say silly things to try to make him crack that awkward smile on his solemn face? Who would be there to remind him, the demon whose very name means "to kill life," that killing was bad? Who would be there to comfort his demon soul, however damned it may inherently be by nature, with the calming harmony of a flute?

Rin silently bound the splintered twig with a length of twine and left it in the bowl to soak a bit longer. She looked down at her reflection in the water and was surprised when a single tear fell from her lashes into the bowl. The ripples distorted the surface and her reflection disappeared. She looked away and dabbed her eyes with her sleeve. There would come a time when her soul disappeared from the human world. Would she be able to turn into a _mononoke_ like Yoko through her devotion to Sesshomaru-_sama_? Or, would she just vanish? Would Sesshomaru be there the moment her spirit left her? Even in her final moment Rin wanted to look upon his beautiful face. She knew it would give her comfort, somehow.

_Would he be sad if I died?_ asked Rin to herself. _Do mononoke even feel sadness?_ She wanted to believe that Sesshomaru was capable of it. At times she believed that he felt loss whenever he mentioned his father. In the quiet moments of the night, Rin recalls a few times she had asked about the former leader of the _Inu_ clan. His face was always expressionless but his timbre hinted of feeling and remorse. Rin always felt so privileged to be in his confidence. Though he would not say it, she guessed that he was uncertain as to whether he would be able to expand his father's domain and make a name for himself. With the expansion of human settlement and population, the demon territories were shrinking. Rin wanted to believe that Sesshomaru would not take innocent lives merely to establish his empire. Sesshomaru-_sama_ would not do such things. No matter how much the words of Ungai-_sama_ tried to persuade her through time and memory Rin could not think ill of Sesshomaru.

Rin finished her basket and decided to set out for the fields surrounding the palace to collect some wildflowers. Dressed in a simple flowing cotton kimono, Rin left her sandals behind and traipsed barefoot out of the garden. The servants mostly ignored her with the exception of a few bows if they chanced eye contact. Rin was glad that they had at least stopped whispering about her.

"Rin-_chan_," asked Jaken with surprise. He had been tending the flowers in the main garden when she passed. His cap was resting on the fountain's edge as the sun combined with his exercise had turned him into a small, sweaty toad. "Where are you going?"

"What do you care, little imp?" laughed Rin.

"I would care if Sesshomaru came back only to find you missing and it is my skin he broils tonight for dinner," said Jaken indignantly.

"I'm only going to pick some flowers. You can come if you like," smiled Rin patting him absently on his bald head. Jaken squawked unkind words at her. But when he realized that she had already turned the corner without another word, he hastily retrieved his staff _Nintoujou_ and his cap and chased after her.

"So you _are_ coming after all," smiled Rin as she pushed against the heavy iron entrance door to the outermost wall of the palace. As she was having a hard time getting the door to budge, Jaken touched his staff to the metal and it magically swung open for her.

"Of course I'm coming. You wouldn't be able to get back in without me. And should I lose sight of you while you do your silly flower picking, I'll simply return to the palace by myself. You, without any magical inclination, will have to wander out here like a _dai_ _baka san_. Then you'll have to wait until Yoko or Sesshomaru lets you in. You may have to eat those flowers of yours to sustain your life for days and days until they return. Then you will truly appreciate me and everything I've ever done for you," smiled Jaken smugly.

"Before I die out there I'll use my blood to write on my sleeve that you killed me," said Rin unfeelingly.

"_AH! HIDOI!_" exclaimed Jaken, and he sulked behind her in silence until they reached the field.

"Ah!" exclaimed Rin as she ran out into the field of blue, yellow and white wildflowers. The flowers flowed out in every direction reaching out even beyond the barrier that surrounded the palace. "_Kire daiyou!_"

"Yeah, whatever," sighed Jaken, finding a nearby tree stump to perch on. He put his head in his hands and closed his eyes to take a nap. Rin on the other hand was darting here and there to collect perfect specimens of every color to fill her basket. The sight of the flowers had cheered her spirits considerably and the memories of Ungai-_sama_ that had plagued her before were chased away by their sweet smelling nectar. Jaken opened his eyes momentarily and watched Rin move farther away as he scratched his rump. The tree stump was making him itch.

"Simpleton," he grunted, and closed his eyes again. The sound of her delight and giggles escaped him as he drifted off to sleep. He even began to snore. His wide mouth resembled that of a toad's as it stretched larger and larger with each following snore. When she was certain that Jaken would not wake until she shouted at him, Rin stuffed a flower in each of his nostrils and merrily skipped away, stifling her giggles and snorts of laughter until she was well out of range.

Rin moved further from the palace as she caught sight of some smaller pink flowers that grew close to the barrier. She picked them by the handful into her basket, ignoring the sticky liquid that stained her hands. It was not until Rin was actually right next to the barrier that she caught glimpse of someone standing just beyond it, a few yards away. Rin gasped as she recognized who it was and inadvertently dropped her basket in her surprise. The basket rolled along the grass and onto its side, half of its contents spilling out on the ground between them.

"Akiko-_san_," said Rin quietly.

"Rin-_san_," smiled Akiko.

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Whew! That was a tough chapter to write. Didn't I mention that this was a tribute to Episode 162? LOL. Poor Ungai-sama. Not all _mononoke_ are evil! But will Rin be damned for loving one? And someone needs to give Akiko's butt a swift kick. More to come in the next chapter...

Translation_ Key:_

_Sessho: to kill/extinguish life_

_Sama: Lord, Sir (honorific)_

_Mononoke: spirits/demons, supernatural beings, demon kind_

_Hanashite: let go/unhand me_

_Sukinishiro: do as you wish_

_Matte: wait_

_Ah! Hidoi: How mean_

_Chan: little, suffix/term of endearment for someone cute/ younger_

_Nintoujou: Jaken's staff, literally "human head staff"_

_Dai baka san: great big idiot_

_Kire daiyou: how beautiful_

_San: suffix attached to names to show respect_


	7. Part 7, Kokoro no Kotoba

AARRGH! So difficult to write! How do you play out a conversation between a human girl and a demoness who are enemies? Not only did I have to place the two of them face to face I had to make them speak to one another. As you know, Rin and Akiko have nothing in common, what could they possibly have to talk about? LOL. All gritted teeth and extended nails. Nothing like good rivalry in a drama, I guess.

In the words of the immortal Yoda, "Do or do not. There is no try." LOL. Just got back from a John Williams concert where they played Yoda's theme in one encore. So here goes….

-K

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**Chapter 7: **_**Kokoro no Kotoba**_** (Expression of the Heart) **

Rin stared at Akiko speechlessly from behind the barrier. The pearly sheen of the magical wall flickered between them in the afternoon light. Akiko's long, pale yellow silk embroidered robes and flowing hair blew gently in the wind. If Rin did not know who and what she was, she would have mistaken Akiko for a _tenshi_ who had lost its way from heaven. Akiko was silent and a small smile curled at the corner of her mouth.

"Akiko-san," said Rin unsteadily. Her voice was quavering. Was she afraid?

"Akiko-san, why have you come?" she ventured again, genuinely curious. The last she heard from Sesshomaru-_sama's_ courtiers, Akiko's entourage had left two days ago, vanishing amid a heavy downpour of rain. Yet, here she was again, alone and unaccompanied by any of her attendants, standing before Rin with a mysterious grin on her face.

"Everything outside of Sesshomaru-_sama's_ barrier is still open to the public, if I am not mistaken," smiled Akiko wryly. "I was merely taking a walk."

"I had no idea you walked backwards," said Rin. "Your lands are in the opposite direction, if I am not mistaken."

Akiko gave a little snort of indignation. "I only came to relay something to you and perhaps catch another moment with Sesshomaru-sama. I was traveling with my father when he told me he would attend to an errand alone, and call upon an old friend without me. We are a small clan, you know, in danger of being overrun by our neighboring enemies. If Sesshomaru-sama will not side with us, we must forge other relationships elsewhere," said Akiko with mock self pity.

"I see," said Rin, not fully comprehending where this conversation was leading. She stared at the ground awkwardly. She did not really want to be in Akiko's presence. The previous day's image of Akiko kissing Sesshomaru-sama was still uncomfortably resting in her memory. Akiko's eyes resembled those of a she-wolf; hungry, prowling, waiting for the perfect time to strike. Rin took a nervous glance towards the small figure of Jaken in the distance, still pleasantly snoring away with flowers in his nostrils.

"My father has not yet returned to meet me. I wandered along the road and I chanced upon a tea stand at a crossroads where I met a rather unsavory fellow," smiled Akiko. She brushed some dust off of her sleeves as if dusting off the encounter. "He dropped this," she said as she retrieved a small red stone from within her sleeve. She opened her hand, palm up, and showed it to Rin. The red stone started gleaming and sparkling at the edges as if lined with orange flames. It was very beautiful. The way that it flickered in the light made Rin imagine that it was somehow pulsing, like a living organ.

"What is it?" asked Rin, her stare completely affixed to the object in Akiko's hand.

"It is the pearl of a dragon's eye. It sees all and remembers everything. They are usually pure and diamond like, but this one has been tainted by murder and deceit in its time. Humans cannot help but be affected by it if they come into contact with it. Humans cannot resist its lure."

"Lure?" asked Rin curiously. "What kind of lure?"

"The lure of power and immortality. The power to become a demon," responded Akiko.

"What has this stone to do with me?" asked Rin, finally blinking off the daze that held her stare and looking up at Akiko. Surprisingly, there was no deceit in the demon's eyes.

"Nothing," answered Akiko. "Everything. Who knows? But when I picked it up, it showed me your face. It has met you before, once, a long time ago when you were small. The day your family died, I suppose."

_The day your family died._ The words echoed through Rin's ears like words dropped into a deep chasm, repeating endlessly in her mind. A lump began to form in Rin's throat.

"What do you know of this?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper, forcing her vision not to blur in a wash of tears that threatened to flow. Her voice was cracking.

"I only know what it showed me. But the one who dropped it was the one who is culpable. It was in his possession when it met you."

"The man with the scar across his face…" She covered her mouth with her hands to hold in her shock. The memory was not clear, but she recalled a man with a badly scarred face dragging her mother out of their cottage by her long, beautiful hair. Rin closed her eyes to shut herself away from the memory that was playing out in her mind's eye like a cruel drama.

"The stone gave him abilities beyond his human capabilities. He was quite distraught to part with it. I left him there at the tea stand yesterday. Perhaps…" she did not finish her sentence and looked up curiously at Rin.

"What is it you want?" asked Rin, suspiciously.

"There is nothing I want that you can give me, Rin-san. You can be certain of that. But still, it seems that you and I are bound by Fate somehow and it has led us here to this very place at this very moment."

"What do you mean?" Rin was still staring at the stone in Akiko's outstretched hand. She thought she could hear the dragon's eye whispering to her. She had the urge to lean in closer to try and understand what it was saying.

"If I had not visited Sesshomaru-_sama's_ palace, I would never have known you. The fact that I do know you has brought me to return this stone here, to you."

"Return it? It was not mine to begin with," responded Rin simply. She wanted nothing to do with it…but what was it saying? Rin took an unwitting step closer to the barrier.

"Ah, but it can be yours. I certainly do not need it. But your past is connected to this stone. It can show you where to find your family's killer. It can grant you great power to achieve something you have always wanted," Akiko said softly.

"What I have always wanted?" repeated Rin.

_Fukushuu_, whispered the stone. Vengeance? Rin was a bit startled by what she heard. Was the stone speaking to her? Rin thought she could hear several different voices saying the same word over and over. A cold chill crawled up Rin's spine.

"Why are you giving it to me?" asked Rin. Her intuition screamed inwardly at her to not go any further, but Rin took another involuntary step closer to the barrier.

"To own the truth, I do not like you. I have never liked you. But I envy you, and I deeply respect Sesshomaru-sama. If you are the one he chooses, then I would give you this stone to make you worthy of him." Akiko turned her palm and let the stone slide off her fingers. It landed on the grass with a dull "thud." The demoness tucked her graceful and clawed hand back into her sleeve.

"I care not what you do with it, really. Keep it or throw it away. Choose the short, ungraceful destiny of all humans if you must. But the day that you turn back into dust is the day I return here and laugh before your headstone. I can wait an eternity for Sesshomaru-_sama's_ affections. Can you?" Akiko shrugged her shoulders and turned to leave. Rin wanted to ask more questions but found her tongue silent. She waited until Akiko's figure diminished to a red spot on the horizon and then disappeared. Then, Rin crossed the threshold outside of the barrier and looked down at the stone by her feet. The whispers were stronger now, more definite and she was certain there were several voices.

_Rin,_ the said the stone, twinkling in the tall field grass. Whose voice was it? Rin bent down to inspect the stone, and not being satisfied with her view, picked it up. A strong howl of wind rushed up out of nowhere and carried her hair and skirts into the air. Rin's lilac colored shawl took flight in a rush of leaves and twigs, flying off her shoulders like a strange limp bird but she did not notice. Her eyes were fixed at the stone.

_Rin_, said the stone once more. The voice was more than a whisper now, sounding deep and hollow but feminine. It sounded so sad. Rin peered into the stone and gasped, nearly dropping it when she saw her mother's face staring back at her.

000

Sesshomaru ran his long fingers through his hair to brush it out of his way as the wind started picking up. Unaccompanied, he had surveyed his borders to the south and west, pondering a strategy that would rid his borders of the troublesome insect demons that had decided to nest in that forest region. His silent face was expressionless as he calculated the number of leagues between his domain and the dark forest. Sesshomaru had always had the intellect, unlike his boorish little brother, to calculate strategies that would benefit him best. His father never really complimented him on his keen sense of comprehension, but there were times when he would look approvingly at his eldest son. The insect demons were dumb and leaderless, making them an easy target for extermination. Originally, he had considered that Akiko's clan would be useful to him and rid him of these pests, however, things being as they were, he would take it upon himself to rid the forest of these loathsome creatures.

In that brief span of a second as his mind gave pause, an image of Rin playing the flute surfaced long enough for him to admire her serene expression and slender, delicate hands.

He sighed. _Why think of her now? _he thought to himself in a futile effort to suppress the image. But the more he struggled, the stronger and more defined the image became. To his annoyance, the image looked up and smiled her pretty smile. One by one, his barriers wavered and crumbled and standing on that cliff top, Sesshomaru was resigned to contemplate the softness of her face and the gentleness of her eyes.

He did not take her with him this time beyond the barrier as the day was still slightly damp and cold, and her health had only recently recovered and returned the healthy glow to her facial features. Sesshomaru had left before sunrise, even before Jaken could serve him breakfast. He intentionally left the imp behind to guard the girl, though not much could really happen to her inside the castle. He was certain that Jaken was lamenting over the situation that very moment, rather loudly.

Sesshomaru had originally thought that his feelings for her would diminish over time, and even moved her to the main part of the castle so he could watch her and become disillusioned with her "humanness". But Rin had no flaws, aside from having a rash streak and not thinking things through sometimes. Other times she was just painfully simple in her innocence. How she maintained that innocence after all she had been through in life was a puzzle to him. The image of her family's death that played out in her mind through nightmares was cruel to watch, even for a demon of his experience and stature.

Sesshomaru never knew his own mother, and so it became that Rin was the only female he had such an extended connection with. Ever since they first met in the forest near her village they had never really been apart. Though young and small and completely useless to him, he felt some obligation to care for her, having brought her back to life with _Tenseiga_. Then, she became useful as bait for Naraku to lure him out, and when he needed her to pass through Holy barriers that he could not. But after that, it became more than any of those reasons. Was it companionship? Or friendship, even?

Growing up as a young demon, Sesshomaru had never had any friends to speak of. Demons who encountered him were always in such awe of him, or his father's reputation, and dared not speak to him. This annoyed him greatly as a child. As he grew into a full fledged demon, his solitary shadow had become his only companion. Aside from his father, all others irritated him with their slithering tongues of flattery or their submissive bows.

The little imp and the little girl were two individuals whose presence he could tolerate. They could be rather stupid sometimes but they were amusing. There came a point, though he was uncertain as to when exactly it happened, that their incessant chattering ceased to grate on his nerves. Thos two were the only ones he knew who would speak their mind to him, and give him honest opinions. Rin never failed to speak her mind to him, regardless of the fact that he was a demon of great reputation and she a mere human girl. She lectured him on how killing humans was evil; that forgiving his brother for severing his arm was a grace; that demons could be good -- and other such nonsense he had never heard before in his life. But more and more he found himself sparing human life when he could, and even, dare he think it, forgiving his brother for being a half-breed idiot. With this, he found his anger more and more subdued and his generosity towards her more and more apparent.

When she confessed her love for him not so long ago, he was not surprised. As she grew older, he noticed subtle changes in her address to him and a shyness that veiled her bright eyes and silenced her for long periods of time. He would catch her stealing glances at him and blushing when he found out. She had never said anything about it, though. He was a little taken aback by how forward she was that day after her battle. She had finally come to the conclusion that she wanted no other. But her honesty was part of her charm.

Though he had traveled long and far before she was even born, what he felt for Rin was nothing like he had experienced. Rin was fresh and frail, scented like grass and fresh dirt, like a flower that never faded. She was full young, compared to his age span, but in human terms she was ready for marriage.

Sesshomaru then realized that he would not permit anyone else to have her. In the time that followed, he had allowed her to be close to him and enjoyed the feel of her soft hand in his larger, rougher one. But did it mean that he wanted her?

A slight frown appeared on his lips and disappeared as soon as it had come. When he entered her bed chamber on the night that she awoke from her nightmare, the thought had crossed his mind but he banished it quickly. She had become smaller and more frail in her recovery from her prior battle that he considered staying there with her through the night to make sure she slept soundly. He wanted to be a comfort to her. But the moment that she fell asleep, Sesshomaru became rather uncomfortable himself. The sound of her gentle breathing, the careless locks of her beautiful dark hair framing her face, and the fact that her slightly disheveled _yukata_ and collar revealed a little more of her chest than it should was all too much for him.

Even when he had left her and lay quietly in his own chambers, Sesshomaru had trouble resting that night. In fact, when Jaken slid his chamber door open the next morning to set the breakfast tray and let the light in, Sesshomaru had not really rested at all and wordlessly threw a cushion at the imp and rolled away from the door to go back to sleep.

He had never wanted anyone like that in his life. His pride always deemed other females beneath him in dignity and thus unworthy of his attention. But Rin was different. He could be himself with Rin. And he wanted nothing more than for her to be herself in his company. As Sesshomaru descended the cliff top in a graceful jump down to a mountain path below, with his fur stole and kimono sleeves trailing behind him, he wondered if his pride would ever let him tell her that.

* * *

_This ending is not quite as bad a cliffhanger as the previous chapter, right? Hehehe…. I eventually wanted to get into Sesshomaru-sama's thoughts of Rin, so it felt like the right place to put it. He is rather a snob himself, isn't he? But that's what we like about him…his "aloofness." _

_Thanks to all who reviewed! Annoying Took and S.J. Kidd prompted me to explain Sesshomaru-sama's sudden absence from Rin's side. I think he needed to sort out some of his feelings by himself, LOL. Rin doesn't really hate humans, but her experience with humans is somewhat lopsided. More of that in the next chapter. And SomeoneInThePastOfEarth really cracks me up! No, I'm not trying to make you mad! My stories tend to write themselves, and even I don't know how they will end until I'm actually writing the ending. And inspiration is hard to come by! I had to pack away all of my Sesshomaru memorabilia because I'm moving at the end of the week. I can at least still drool over my Sesshomaru desktop picture on my computer screen…._

_-K _

_Translation Key: _

_Tenshi: angel_

_Fukushuu: vengeance_

_Yukata: a light, shorter summer kimono/robe_

_Tenseiga: Sesshomaru's inheritance from his father, a sword that gives life_


	8. Part 8, Nuguikesu no Onna

Sorry about the wait, I just moved into my new place. Took me a while to find my Sesshomaru plush doll and my story notes. But here we are again. The moonlight and starlight visible through the window. My i-tunes playing "Arigatou" from Fushigi Yuugi's 2nd OVA soundtrack. My DSL finally working…. Time for a story, _desho_?

BTW, thaks so much for the kind reviews! I had no idea my stories inspired some of you to write! That's so totally cool. I'll have to check it out!

--Kero.

* * *

Chapter 8:_ Nuguikesu no Onna _(The Woman Who Was Erased)

Where was she? She looked down and saw a pair of feet, walking rather quickly beneath her gaze. Weren't those her feet? Those were definitely the shoes that Yoko had sewn for her. Rin was rather puzzled that her feet were walking along a narrow dirt road by their own accord. She was walking so briskly that the dust was kicking up to soil the hem of her cotton kimono. Rin recognized this path as one that led down from the plateau where Sesshomaru-_sama's_ castle stood to the lower grasslands below where humans lived. How had she gotten there? Rin glanced down at her right hand. A blood red stone, glowing slightly as it caught a few of the sun's setting rays, was clutched in her fist. She wanted to let it go but found that she could not. In fact, Rin's body was not quite her own at present. Her eyes did not quite belong to her, although she could see through them. But, it was rather like peering through a window, or watching the scenery go by while riding on a cart. Quite frightened, she had no idea where she was going nor did she have any control over her movements.

_Do not be afraid_, said a voice. Rin was startled that it was coming from inside her head, and yet, those were not her thoughts.

"Who is there?" asked Rin nervously. At least her voice and mouth were still working. Rin wondered at how ridiculous she must seem to any passersby who observed a young girl in a dirty kimono walking quickly down the road and talking to herself.

_I am the collective voice of many souls,_ it replied. Rin suddenly recalled the ghostly image of her mother within the stone. A chill ran down her spine as she tried to block the pale and bloodied image of her dead mother, eerily floating in the heart of the stone.

"Why did you show me my mother?" asked Rin quietly.

_I was there when she fell. And when she died, I absorbed her soul, just like all the others before her_.

In her mind, Rin could hear the whispers again, jumbled and colliding into each other like a spray of waves on a shore. They were speaking incoherent phrases in her mind, frustrated and earnest. But Rin could only pick out the words "death" and "vengeance." The whispers were countless in number, and they were all very angry.

"Please stop," said Rin, imploring the voices. Her heart was racing with fear now. There was no one along the road. Villagers who wandered these paths in the daylight knew better than to stay around when the sun set near the _Inu_ clan's territory. There was no one who could help her at this hour.

"Sesshomaru-sama," she whispered.

_Rin_, said a familiar voice.

"_O-dousan_?" asked Rin, recognizing the voice of her father.

_Give in, Rin_, said the voice of her brother.

"_Nii-san_?" Were they all trapped inside?

_Help us, Rin_, said the voice of her mother.

"_O-kaa san_!" cried Rin, desperation in her voice. "_O-kaa san_, where are all of you?"

_They are within me_, said the stone.

"Why are they there?" demanded Rin. "Why do you keep them? Please, let them go!"

_They are the source of my power. I had no cognizance before then; I was nothing but a pearl within the eye of a mighty dragon. In the hands of a human, I bring great agility, luck and strength. But having been used for death and murder, in the hands of homicidal men, the souls of the dead, having died terrible and violent deaths, they cried out to me and I gathered them, becoming stronger with each death. Their fear, vengeance, want, anger and unwillingness to die feed my power. With me, Rin, you are an immortal. You are peerless. Will you not heed their cries and execute their revenge?_

"Revenge?" asked Rin. "I have no desire for this," she said.

_Will you not free your family, then?_

"Free them?"

_If you take your revenge on the one who slaughtered them, they will be satisfied._

Rin was exceedingly frightened now. It wanted her to kill? Rin could not bear to face the man with the scar, no matter how well armed she was. The very thought of him made her cringe with hate intermingled with fear. She did not want to be anywhere near that loathsome man, let alone kill him. Even if she did, would it free her family? Rin had the intuitive feeling that the stone would not be placated or satisfied, no matter how many human sacrifices it asked for.

"No!" shouted Rin, resisting with all her might. She struggled to gain control of her body once more, staring hard at the hand that held the stone and trying to will it to let go.

_Do not resist, Rin,_ said the voice of her father.

_Give in,_ said her brother's voice.

_Help us,_ said her mother's voice.

"I cannot!" cried out Rin, helplessly. Tears were streaming down her face now. Rin thought she could feel cold hands against her cheeks. She screwed her eyes shut and sobbed softly as her body continued onto the main road at a hurried pace.

000

Sesshomaru floated gently down onto the richly flowered plain on the outside of his barrier to the castle. The setting sun was reflecting off the barrier at certain angles, giving the air on the plain a rosy pink hue. With a wave of his hand, the energy of the barrier shifted and then parted to let the master back into his private realm. But just as he crossed the barrier and felt the energy of the barrier close behind him, he noticed a basket on the ground nearby. He walked over to it and knelt down. His fingers lightly touched the rim of the newly woven basket, not unlike the many other baskets he saw Rin weave. Its floral contents had spilled out in a graceful arc as the container rolled down the slight slope to the barrier and stopped. He took a deep breath and caught the faint scent of her in the air. She would never have left it here like this on purpose.

He walked directly over towards the front gate, where he found Jaken lounging just outside the outer wall on a tree stump. Sesshomaru stared expressionlessly at his minion but raised an eyebrow when he saw the imp demon had two flower stems up his nose in a rather ridiculous way. No doubt Rin's doing. Sesshomaru formed a fist with his hand and rapped Jaken's head firmly with a knuckle.

"Ouch!" cried Jaken, startled and toppling backwards from his perch. He sneezed out the flowers from his nose.

"Damn it, Rin!" Jaken exclaimed as he looked up and saw his master staring sternly at him. Immediately, Jaken reverted to his groveling position and lay prostrate before Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru-sama, I did not hear you return! _Okairinasai-gozaimas_!"

"_Rin wa doko_?" demanded Sesshomaru in a voice and an expression that was more grim than usual.

"Rin? Isn't she out here somewhere?" Jaken looked around rather perturbed. Where had the girl gone now? "She was right here before!" insisted Jaken. "I told her to stay within sight and within the barrier!" Jaken looked around frantically for the girl, running this way and that, leaving trampled flowers everywhere. She was nowhere to be seen. It was obvious that she was long gone. There was a faint, lingering smell on the air, a scent that was not Rin's. Jaken sniffed it out more intently. It smelled faintly of flowers and perfume, intermingled with a demon scent. Jaken scratched his head, rather confused.

"Akiko," said Sesshomaru aloud, staring out at the setting sun beyond the red glow of the barrier.

000

Her thoughts were complete chaos. It was as if she were trying to swim through thick mud or honey, her thoughts were muddled and stuck together. Her mind was a tangled mesh of near completed thoughts, each strand slipping through her fingers as she tried to hang on to any of them. Where she was, who she was, these thoughts were clear to her a moment ago. But now, try as she might, these facts were beyond her recollection. She was completely in the dark. There was nothing around her. No air, no wind; no ground, no sky; nothing.

"Where am I?" she asked. She felt as though she were falling, ever so slowly. Whatever it was she left, whoever she was before, wherever she had been a moment ago; it was all somewhere above, and she was falling away from it all. Her voice was small and insignificant in the vast void surrounding her. She heard faint whispers seemingly in a distant far away place. She wondered if the voices were just on the other side of the darkness.

"Hello? Can somebody help me?" she asked to the void. The voices just kept whispering, in an endless stream of half formed words and phrases that she could not make out. She felt as though she were going mad. The whispers were eating away at her, as if they were hollowing out her mind. It pained her be unable to recall her "self." She began to despair.

How long had she been in the void? There was no time there. No past or present; only now. Only pain and loneliness. Was she dead?

_You are not dead, Rin, _said a voice in the void.

"Rin? Is that my name?" she asked.

_Yes. And I will redefine you. Who you used to be does not matter. I will make you powerful._ _I will make you strong. I will make you without equal. And you will never fear demons or men again._

She recalled a gentle mother's touch on her cheek; she remembered the sweet smell of spring flowers after the rain; she recalled the comfort of her cradle from long ago. But then, Rin was then presented with horrible images of murder and killing. Her family, her only kin, her whole world was killed. Red blood was everywhere, seeping into the dirt around the corpses. Were these her memories? "Make it stop!" Rin demanded. "Please, stop!" The image of the scarred faced man was burned into her. She could not look away from his piercing cruel gaze. Her dead mother's body lay at his feet. Rin was burning with hatred. It was giving her power.

_I will feed on your grief and your anguish. You need not fear anything ever again, Rin_. With that, she felt something reach into her, tugging at her, trying to remove something she knew to be important.

_As a demon, you will not need a soul. Once I remove it, you will fear nothing. You will take whatever it is you desire in this world, and no one can stop you._ The voice was strong, seductive even.

_Before this, you had nothing. Your life was miserable. You had grown up a pauper and were mistreated by humans. Hunger and loneliness were your only companions. They used you, abused you and laughed at you. No one cared for you. They fed you to the dogs. You have always been alone and afraid. _She did not want to be afraid anymore.

_You can have your revenge on humans for being so cruel, so useless and hopelessly evil. They are all beneath you now, _the voice whispered. These things were all true. She knew them to be true. Rin could feel her resolve waiver, and then it was done. She felt nothing. She was completely hollow, and recalled nothing of fear, pain, happiness, sadness, or even love. Rin could not recall when she had ever felt these things.

Then she was falling again. Or rather, she was being pulled down very quickly, before she could even think about why and where. The whispers were all very excited now, speaking quickly over one another, becoming louder and louder. Rin looked up and knew she was very, very far away from where she had started, wherever that was. There was no going back now.

_Help us, Rin_, said the voice of her brother.

_Avenge us, daughter,_ said her father.

_Join us, Rin_, said her mother.

Rin opened her eyes and saw that she had reached a crossroads. The smoldering remains of what appears to have been a tea stand lay every where, intermingled with some charred human remains. She could smell every bit of it. There was someone alive still, she could feel it. She looked up and saw the dying sun, a red spot just above the horizon. There was a silhouetted figure walking towards her. He came close enough for her to recognize the ugly scar across his face. She felt no fear, no pain; nothing but anger and hatred. Just then, the sun set beyond the horizon, but the stone in her hand was still blazing sanguine red fire.

"_Akai_," said Rin quietly, in a cold and hollow voice, "is the color of vengeance."

* * *

_Translation key:_

_Okairinasai-gozaimas: Welcome back (formal/polite)_

_Rin wa doko: where is Rin?_

_O-dou: father_

_O-kaa: mother_

_O-Nii: brother (older)_

_Akai: red_

NOTES: Yes all that time spent inside Rin's head was enough to get her to the tea stand. The stone is very mysterious, isn't it?It has stripped away/erased Rin and rebuilt her in its image. It has an ulterior motives, giving Rin selective memory,if I didn't make it clear. It will become clear in Chapter 10, I promise!

I think you'll be pleased with Rin's demon form. But will she ever be the same? Will Sesshomaru help her? Akiko has secured a front row seat to watch Rin's demise. I got the idea of the "whispers" partly from Full Metal Panic! and from the TV series "Lost." I always thought whispers were kinda creepy. And why is the guy standing there? Isn't he toast? _Saa, wakannaiyo_…(haven't got a clue). Sorry guys, but it's another cliffhanger. I needed to tell Rin's transformation before I get to the butt-kicking parts. Bye for now!

--Kero


	9. Part 9, Mononoke, Ningen ni no Kekai

Okay, don't we all think Sesshomaru is the coolest character in _Inuyasha_? I mean Inuyasha is pretty cool, but his brother is just hot. I've fallen into a bit of Sesshomaru worship again in this chapter. But you WILL like it….if not, well then…tough. LOL.

You know, as I read through the fight scenes again, I realize that I watched Pokemon one too many times in the past… I half wanted to shout, "Rin! Whirlwind attack! Go!" Then, I LMAO b/c it was just too funny...

Thank you to SJ Kidd for all the suggestions. I will clear some stuff up either in a Chapter 9 revision, or in Chapter 10. Thank you Danica, Bluediamond-Hime and Moonmagicks for such kind praise! It makes me blush, but THANKS!

--Kero

* * *

**Chapter Nine: **_**Mononoke tou Ningen ni no Kekai (Boundary Between Monsters and Men)**_

Sesshomaru raced down the bamboo forest adjoining his outer territories. The light was growing dimmer as the sun was setting. A cool wind rushed alongside him, propelling him faster as he gracefully dodged the bamboo trunks left and right. He was going so fast that bamboo twigs and leaves were slashing at his face and hands leaving little red cuts and welts. But this was not his primary concern. He had lost Rin's scent along the road, but Akiko's perfume still lingered in the forest that ran adjacent to it. Sesshomaru knew that if he found Akiko, he would find Rin.

For now, his mind was only concentrated on the single though of following the scent. Hunting and tracking were simple and even second nature to him. He knew that if he stopped to think about what was going on, somehow, he would have to shift some blame onto himself. Sesshomaru did not know Akiko's exact motive, however, he knew enough about the demoness to understand that the one way she could get to him was through Rin. Though he neither acknowledged nor encouraged those around him to think that he had 'chosen' Rin over Akiko, he knew it must seem that way to everyone who knew of Rin's situation at his castle. Akiko must have wanted revenge against him for slighting her and dismissing her so coolly. In Sesshomaru's eyes, he did not fault himself for doing so. He was of course, lord and master of the _Inu _clan, and as such he could do no wrong. As for his own personal tastes, Akiko was cold and rather loathsome, and more so now that she had something to do with Rin's disappearance. Rin was so pleasantly different from Akiko.

But if he stopped to think about it even further, he would discover a slight twinge of guilt for not taking Rin out with him to survey the territories that morning, as he had done many times when she was younger. Had he done so, he would have been able to protect her better, for the safest place for Rin was, and had always been, by his side. This had proven true in all the years he was acquainted with the girl. No matter who tried to steal her, no matter how they tried to use her to get to him, she was always safest when with him.

Sesshomaru was responsible for her, having brought her back from the dead and besides that, he was not comfortable with the thought of some untimely demise befalling her because of him. Whether it was out of guilt, responsibility or genuine concern for the girl, Rin had stayed with him all this time.

He should have known better this time. A demon like Akiko would not let such a slight go by without retaliation. Sesshomaru had underestimated the motives of a woman. Despite his knowledge and experience in all things concerning the demon world, women were still a puzzle to him. He would never admit that, of course.

He knew that Rin did not enjoy being left behind, though she never mentioned it to him. In fact, aside from the few times that she had told him of her feelings for him, she rarely spoke about how she was feeling. Sesshomaru often wondered if it was because she was shy or because she did not want him to worry. Not like he WOULD worry, for these things were of little concern to him…before. For every time he left her without word, Rin busied herself by making something, like a basket. On one occasion, while he was passing one of the storage sheds in the castle, he saw Yoko and Jaken desperately trying to close a closet door. There were unsuccessful and a flood of baskets of all sizes spilled out all over the ground, completely burying Jaken, much to the little imp's discontent.

Upon inquiry, after listening to Jaken's indignant squawking, Sesshomaru discovered that whenever he left Rin, she busied herself until he came back. The closet was the result of a decade or so of Rin trying to pass the time without him. This thought was followed by more guilt, somehow. He realized that every time that he had spent an intimate session with Rin, whether teaching her how to fight, or how to write, or answering her questions about demon lore, or even spending an afternoon watching her pick flowers, it was always followed by a brief absence from her. Had he been avoiding his own feelings for her all that time?

And for every time that he did not ask what was going on in her head, that she did not tell him what she was thinking, something ended up going wrong. Somehow it always resulted in his having to save her. He could not deny it. Ever since that fateful day that they first met, he had always wanted to save her. Whether it was from the humans who mistreated her and cast her aside, the demons who wanted her for breakfast, or the demons who wanted to use her to get to him, he wanted to save her.

Or rather, he wanted to be the one to save her. He felt this most acutely when she was suffering from her nightmares. She had suffered in silence with those memories and all he wanted to do was ease her pain. He had never felt this way for anyone before. Not even his own kin. In the end, Sesshomaru decided it would be better for him to be updated on all her feelings and concerns. He would appoint Jaken as their intermediary as soon as they returned. For in his mind, he would bring her back. There was no doubt.

000

Rin stared at the man in front of her through slitted green, lifeless eyes. She had but one goal: he must be killed. Her family must be avenged. She licked her lips and tasted the blood where her newly grown fangs had cut her. Rin's long hair had fallen out of place, and wispy tendrils flowed out in the breeze like wavy serpents. She extended her hands out to her sides and five razor sharp talons extended out on either side, ready to pounce on her newfound prey. Somewhere she had discarded her shoes and claws protruded out of her toes where her toenails should have been.

"I knew you would come," said the man, drawing his sword. "Humans are so predictable." A cruel grin appeared on his face. It made the scar across his cheek bend awkwardly. Rin wanted to make that smirk disappear, or she would rip it off his face. This was the man who had destroyed her life so long ago. It was because of him that it all went awry. He and his men slaughtered her family and left her in misery.

"_Yurusenai_,' said Rin under her breath. She would never forgive him.

"Let's play then, _neko-chan_," he said.

He charged at her with inhuman speed. Rin could feel the power of the stone pulsing with energy in her pocket. She jumped up at the last moment, doing a forward flip and slight twist in mid air. Where had she learned that? From deep inside her mind, she recalled a tall graceful figure with flowing silver hair, but she could not recall his face. At the last moment, Rin slashed at the man, but he expertly moved out of the way. Only his shirt was caught by her claws, and she had managed to slice it into three strips along his back.

"Very clever," he replied. "You learned that from him, did you?" But then her opponent raised his sword, garnering enough energy, and slashed the air in front of him. He had created such a forceful shockwave that Rin was nearly knocked off her feet. She raised her arms to shield her eyes and when it was over, she could see that the front of her kimono was torn in several places as if it had been whipped by the wind. Had she still been human, she would have been cut into pieces by now.

_You see the power I have granted you? Now go, use me to kill your opponent. And I will eat the soul that is left behind, making you even stronger,_ said the voice in her head.

_Do it, Rin_, said the voice of her mother in a small whisper. _Help us._

Rin obeyed and she was the one to charge her opponent this time. Rin hissed as she caught his blade in her claws. The edges of the metal were sharp enough to cut into her claws, making them bleed ever so slightly. She kicked her opponent away, and with the power of the stone, she cut her opponent badly in a whirlwind of claws and fangs. The man jumped away from the attack. He looked down and saw he was bleeding in many places now. One cut had almost been deep enough to sever the artery in his arm.

"If that man were still alive, he would have fallen before you. You would have made him suffer, I can see that in your eyes. It's a good thing I dispatched him quickly before you got to him. But no more games, _neko-chan_," smiled her opponent. "I wanted to test you, but now I see you are playing for keeps. Out of respect for your new form, I will not hold back." Her opponent relinquished his sword, tossing it aside. Then, putting his hands together and closing his eyes, he burst into bright orange flame. Rin stepped back and saw the flame reached high into the air. She leaped back as to not be burned, and when she looked up, there was a giant white _inu_ in front of her. Her opponent was not human.

The giant dog licked its paw at the places where Rin had slashed. Then with its green eyes it snarled at her.

"Come, Rin. Let's finish this!" The voice was no longer that of the man, but a female voice she recognized but could not name. Somehow, she had been tricked. Somehow, she had been used again. Rin hated that. Her eyes were filled with fury. Again, she had been deprived of what she wanted. The dog would have to pay for that.

_Kill it,_ said the voice in her head. _Kill it and I will eat the demon soul, becoming more powerful than with any simple human soul._ _Kill it and I will have no more need for you or the others. I will release them and your family will be free_. Rin's green eyes began to glow with a new purpose.

000

Sesshomaru stopped short in a clearing within the bamboo forest. There, he saw some of Akiko's retainers and her sedan, idly passing time. They were most likely waiting for her return. With deliberate purpose, Sesshomaru drew his sword and leaped out in front of the sedan. He slashed at the air and the wooden sedan burst into pieces. It was empty. In a flash of light, Sesshomaru charged at them, and with extended claws reaching out like a giant golden whip, he slashed at all the demons, save one. This one he had pinned by the neck against a thick bamboo stump. The demon was gasping for air and could not draw its weapon.

"Where is she?" demanded Sesshomaru.

"Who?" gasped the demon.

"Your mistress," said Sesshomaru with deadly impatience.

"She's not here," stammered the demon.

"This part is obvious. Tell me where she has gone," said Sesshomaru, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"We don't know. She didn't tell us. She found a demon stone back at the tea stand further down the main road," he gasped. "She killed a human with a scar across his face to get it. Then she told us to wait here."

"A man with a scar," said Sesshomaru, pondering the meaning of it and then making the connection.

"At the cross-roads," the demon volunteered. "Please don't kill me," he begged.

"Another day, when I have time for it," growled Sesshomaru. He relinquished his grip and raced down the main road again in a blur of silvery hair and immaculate white fur.

000

A stream of blazing orange fire streamed towards Rin, but she leaped up and avoided it. Her hair smelled singed. Before she had time to think of a better strategy to get closer to her demon dog opponent, a rain of fireballs came at her. Rin jumped to the top of the nearest tree, only to have another torrent of flame come at her. She jumped off the tree and heard the tree crackle and hiss as it crumbled to ash. Rin raced up to a charred post and used it as a jumping point to go over the demon's head and into the canopy of trees behind it. A spray of fire rained at her, showering down to burn the trees. Rin leaped out of the way once again, unharmed. The demon was trying to tire her out. She needed a strategy to attack but she could not attack if she was also avoiding the foul fire that came out of the demon's mouth.

Rin noticed that the canopy of trees not yet burned down by the demon was still covered fresh with water from the recent rains. She retracted her claws. With all of her might, She jumped onto the highest branches and dragged them down with her hands as far as she could as they would not support her weight. The branches bent down, stretching and groaning in their new position. When the demon dog had again sprayed fire and missed Rin let go of the branches. Like a slingshot, the branches flung the water from their leaves in a shower of rain at the dog. The demon shrieked in surprise as it was doused with water.

Then, Rin extended her claws fully once more, snapping two of them off with her teeth, and raced toward the dog on foot. Then, a memory floated up to the surface of her mind. There was the graceful figure with the flowing silver hair again. He had the scent of water lilies as he stood close behind her. They were standing in a garden of roses. The sound of a gentle spray from a water fountain was heard in the distance. Before her stood a target hanging from the branch of a tree.

"_Look at your target and concentrate,_" he had said. "_See the projectile hit its target, and believe that it will_." Who was he? Rin's feet raced towards the demon dog and in an instant it was again within range. Her hatred made her aim for the dog's wounded arm, rather than its heart. Rin wanted it to suffer.

With a quick flick of her wrist, Rin's severed claws, now used as spinning projectiles, left her grip and headed towards the place where she had cut her opponent's arm before. The claws were spinning so quickly they appeared to be flying discs. Her opponent realized what was happening and could not dodge the attack in time. The claws entered the open wound in the demon's arm, and pierced the flesh and bone, sawing through the target and shearing off the entire extremity. The two flying claws, now dyed a deep reddish purple hue from the demon's blood, continued outward until they hit the solid barrier of a tree trunk and embedded themselves into the wood. They hit with a solid 'thunk' against it, beside a tall figure standing on one of the tree's thicker limbs. Rin could not see his face but his flowing silver hair and his steady gaze told her that she knew him.

* * *

_Translation key:_

_Yurusenai: unforgivable_

_Neko-chan: little cat, kitty cat_

_Inu: dog_

Notes: I'm trying to make up for the long delay after Chapter Seven by having a stream of story flow from my fingers this weekend. For once, I don't need to clean/vacuum a room in my new house. I do actually need to go buy food to feed me for the week right now, so I'm stopping right here. I have to or I'll starve! (And yes, An AlternateAkiAndFuyuAnAlternateFallAndWinter ( --mouthful),  
I have gone out grocery shopping and have stocked enough for the next natural/nuclear disaster...)

BTW, Didn't you all suspect that Akiko was disguised as the man with the scar? She's wanted to kill Rin that badly. I knew it ever since I introduced her back into the story. I knew from Chapter Four that there would be a Rin-Akiko showdown somehow. I wanted to make Rin a cat demon, a complete opposite from a dog. (To answer some:one's question:she doesn't have a tail, just claws and fangs and pointy ears.) My characters completely cross the boundaries between men and monsters in this chapter. Ungai-sama was wrong in many respects. Much role reversal is involved in here!

I think it's gonna end in the tenth chapter. But how will it end? (And sorry, SJ Kidd, cousinPrince Jun'ichiro won't be appearing in this story, it's too far into it and I can't fit him in anywhere. But I liked him a lot too, and I may do a _Taiyou tou Tsuki_ rewrite to give him a bigger part...) _Dewa mata…_

--Kero.


	10. Part 10, Otome no Yume

This was an unexpectedly long journey, since the first time I saw my first episode of Inuyasha two years ago on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. I missed most of it but I caught the end title with Do As Infinity's "_Fukai Mori_" (Deep Forest). There was this beautiful image of Sesshomaru standing atop a rocky precipice overlooking the inter-dimensional graveyard where his father Inu-Taisho was laid to rest. I remember thinking to myself, "Wow, he's _gorgeous_. Who the heck is that?" Thus began my obssession. I even dressed like Rin at the Expo. LOL. I've got issues, I admit it.

So, thanks for coming along for the ride! You are all cool. When I first started in 2004, I didn't think anyone would read my stuff. Your encouragement and praise will always inspire me to write.

-K

* * *

**Chapter 10: **_**Otome no Yume (A Young Girl's Dream)**_

The moon had risen, peering out behind a lone dark cloud amid a speckled mantle of stars. Its light illuminated the shadowy figure's head, like a luminescent halo. His long, silver-white hair drifted in luminescent strands behind him as the night wind blew. Something in Rin stirred as if she were recalling a familiar dream. Not a word passed between them. In that moment the silence between them covered all the night sounds like a thick blanket. For one moment, the whispers had stopped, and Rin could hear the sound of her blood ringing through her ears. Her mouth opened to speak, but no words came forth.

Just then, a torrent of fire spewed towards her from one side. Rin could not move away in time and just as she could smell her hair and her clothes burning, it was over. She looked up and saw the demon in white standing in front of her, and she could clearly see he was adorned with light armor shining in the moonlight that was more ornamentation than actual protection. This powerful demon was something to be reckoned with even without armor. As he lowered his arm, palm open out towards Rin's opponent, the blue shimmer of a barrier disappeared around him. Rin hissed at him and pounced away, back into the shadows. He called out her name, but she retreated even further. Was that her name? Did they know one another?

_Do not lose your concentration,_ said the stone in her pocket. _Kill the demoness and drink her blood. The blood of a powerful inu demon will grant us both exponential powers._

_Rin!_ said the voice of her mother. Her mother's voice sounded as if she were in pain. Rin recalled the image of her mother being dragged out of a small house by her hair. Even as a child, Rin often played with the ends of her mother's fine, fragrant hair. Her hate started to burn into her.

_The demoness stole away your chance for revenge. Revenge that your family has thirsted for all of these years. Kill the demoness so I can be powerful enough to set their souls free_, it whispered.

Rin looked out to the clearing where the demon inu lay crumpled on the muddy ground. The last spout of fire had taken much out of it. Dark blood was everywhere and the demon dog was attempting to lap it up and clean the wound marking where its arm used to be. Rin extended her claws again. It had to die.

Suddenly, another scene buried deep inside her came forth in her mind. It came so violently that Rin staggered back and leaned against the trunk of a tree for support. The demon with the silvery hair was standing in a fragrant garden. Rin could see there were white water lilies in the nearby water fountain that sung a song of evening mysteries as the dusk faded in the western sky. The round full moon's reflection danced amid the music of the water. Had she been in this beautiful place before?

"_What are you thinking_?" she had asked. Her voice was that of a child; small, inquisitive and innocent. The demon in his white kimono said nothing at first. Then, he turned around and looked at her. His face was expressionless save the one tiny crease between his eyebrows indicating he was slightly perturbed.

"_Do your questions never cease_?" he had asked in return. The child Rin giggled with mirth. The crease on his brow disappeared. He turned away from her again. His perfect profile was illuminated. She was fascinated at how he was always able to reflect the light of the moon, no matter how dark the night was.

"_Kire-dayou_," Rin had said quietly, admiring his beauty. He glanced at her and looked away again. Rin thought she had seen a tinge of embarrassment in his pale face.

"_Bakabakashi_," he had said under his breath.

"I know him," said Rin to herself, clutching her head tightly with her hands. It was as if something was trying to come forth from her skull, threatening to burst like the rush of a tidal wave. The whispers became very agitated inside her head. They were all speaking at once, and Rin felt as though her mind was spinning out of control and she was being sucked in and dragged by a whirlpool.

_Concentrate! He is not your concern. Kill the demoness before she escapes,_ demanded the stone. The whispers lulled. It was growing agitated as it demanded more of her. The whispers suddenly stopped, and Rin's eyes glowed with green rage once again. Mindlessly, Rin obeyed and with her demon strength she leapt out of the trees and undergrowth, a spray of leaves and debris trailing behind her from the sudden vacuum of air she left behind. Her laws were extended and she fell back towards the ground with but one purpose. Akiko looked up in surprise at the sudden attack. Completely weakened, the demoness had already transformed back into her human form. As Rin charged towards her Akiko stared her straight in the eye without flinching. There was no fear in either of them.

Then, the figure in white charged at Rin, knocking the air out of her lungs and they both plunged towards the ground and landed back away from the clearing, in the forest undergrowth. He landed on top of her, his hands pinning her arms down so that her claws could not touch him, and her body was made immobile. Rin snarled at him and despite her struggles, she could not break free.

"Rin!" he said sternly. "This is not who you are. _Me wo samashite!_" he ordered. She continued to squirm beneath him so violently that started bruising herself in his grip.

"Whatever it is that is controlling you, you must fight it!" he said. Rin shook her head fiercely as if not wanting to hear his words. Then, a dark force gathered in her spreading outwards to repel him. Sesshomaru leaped out of its way back into the clearing as it created a shock wave that pushed several yards of trees and shrubbery flat on the ground. Rin had again disappeared into the undergrowth.

"It is no use," said Akiko in a low voice, wet and bedraggled on the dirt ground. "The stone has merged with her mind."

"Stone?" asked Sesshomaru walking back out onto the plain, glaring at her with sharp, determined eyes.

"A demon stone, borne from the pearl of a dragon's eye. It has the power to possess a human, granting her immortality and demon strength. In return, she must continue to collect souls to continue to give power to the stone. Apparently, the stone has an appetite for demon as well. Demons have no souls, but there are other ways of attaining our power," smirked Akiko mirthlessly.

"What have you done," demanded Sesshomaru in a low growl, scanning around him for any trace of Rin.

"Nothing she did not do herself. The souls of her family are within the stone. I merely handed it to her. She was the one who tried to free them. The stone is too powerful for a weak human mind. She will not be able to break free. You must separate the stone from her somehow," said Akiko.

"I must…?" said Sesshomaru coldly. "Perhaps I should just leave her to dispatch you to save me the trouble," he began. Sesshomaru eyed her severed limb. "She's seems to be doing quite well. It will save _me_ a great deal of time."

"Have you not the time for your precious Rin? If you do not save her now, she will never return to you," retorted Akiko. "Her soul will be bound to the stone for an eternity. The stone has taken her memories and only replaced them with false or twisted ones. Does not your heart ache to see her thus?" she asked mockingly. "If you do not help her, you will have to kill her to put her out of her misery."

Sesshomaru ignored the tone of Akiko's voice and scanned the undergrowth but could not see where she had gone. Her scent still lingered in the air and he knew she was close. But now, as an immortal she had increased her ability for stealth, speed and strength. He had to be on his guard for it was true that she did not recognize him. Although, for a moment, he thought he saw a flicker of recognition when he first looked into her eyes. Her soft brown eyes had turned malignant green, full of anger and hatred. He did not know to what extent he could help her now. Was she too far gone to be saved?

"I cannot do this," panted Rin, clutching tufts of grass in her clenched fists as she lay prostrate on the ground. "He will not let me kill her."

_He favors her. He always has_, said the voice of her mother.

_He was only playing with you_, whispered the stone. _You must kill her, your rival_.

"My rival?" she asked. Her mind was completely devoid of any recollection of either of them. But then, the stone began to glow, and with its power another memory was released to her. Rin saw an image in her mind, that of the demon in white and her rival in a brightly flowered garden. The demoness slithered close to him and kissed him. He was letting her do it. Rin clenched her fists so tightly that her palms began to bleed. A twisted, tormented feeling bubbled up in her chest. She hated her rival. She hated him for making her feel so miserable.

_They have deceived you. They are evil. They must die._

Rin stood up again, possessed once more by the power of the stone. Her razor sharp claws once again extended their full length held close to her sides as she raced through the forest around the perimeter of the clearing. Her silent footfalls barely disturbed the earth as she gathered speed, leaning slightly left or right to avoid a tree or branch whizzing by. Looking at the corner of her eye, between the trees she could see her targets still crouched low in the middle of the plain. She would rush up to them from behind, and she was certain that she would kill at least one of them.

A powerful aura had filled the forest. Sesshomaru knew it was the stone's doing. He could neither hear nor sense Rin but her scent was still everywhere. He closed his eyes and waited for her to attack first. He knew he had to be careful fighting her. In her state, she would not retract and would have no qualms killing him. He on the other hand had to locate the stone and detach it from her without hurting her. Sesshomaru was not used to fighting at such a disadvantage, and yet for her, he would do so. It was disturbing even for him to see Rin so detached and heartless. So much like a demon. It was so unlike her usual warm nature. With the stone she was immortal, but that was not the way he wanted her. It was her human nature that was always so endearing to the extent that it even affected him, a demon who cared for no one else before he met her. He would not let her remain this way. He would save her, or else….

"_Sesshomaru-sama,"_ she had asked him once, long ago when she was still small. It was after the child stealing ogre incident. The incident with the monk they called Ungai-sama. They were standing on a grassy plateau in front of three crude head stones. He had later often wondered if the head stones were those of her family.

But at the time, his mind was concerned with finding Naraku, and he only looked at her questioningly with detached interest.

"_After Rin dies, will you promise not to forget her?"_ she had asked. It was such a silly thing for her to ask. Perhaps she had loved him even then? It was a wish of hers to always be at his side, knowing that she was mortal. She would always be with him if he remembered her. Such wise words from someone so small. For the first time in his long life, Sesshomaru felt the oddest sensation in his chest. It was something akin to aching.

Then suddenly, he heard her charge. She had come up swiftly from behind. He turned to see her rushing towards him at incredible speed and then with her right foot she tapped the ground and leapt up into the air, coming down almost head first, claws pulled back and positioned for a killing thrust. Sesshomaru used his arm to push Akiko roughly aside so that Rin would focus directly on him. The demoness gasped as her body was shoved sideways across the plain, landing in another puddle of mud. As Rin came for him, the stone's aura surrounded her, coloring the air around Rin to make her look as she streamed down to earth like a red comet. She came crashing down and collided with his barrier.

Where the two barriers met, the air sizzled and crackled with energy and bursts of white light. Behind his defense he could see the determination in her eyes. She wanted nothing but to kill him. She had never before looked at him with such eyes. His defense wavered and Rin started to penetrate the barrier. He reprimanded himself silently for allowing his mind to wander. Her claws pierced through and came within inches of his chest. Sesshomaru could defend himself only if he drew his sword. The power of his draw would protect him from her attack, but the killing arc could seriously hurt her. He hesitated.

Rin could see him hesitate and in that second she found her opening. She knew her claws would not pierce through his armor, so instead, her right hand turned slightly to find the opening between the breastplate and the spiked shoulder guard. In an instant she plunged her claws into him. His blood spurted out his back, indicating that she had pierced through his body. A twisted smile flickered across her face.

But abruptly, he pulled her closer to him, embracing her with his good arm. His eyes never left her gaze and his face remained expressionless. He was affected neither by pain nor anger and it puzzled her exceedingly. Then, his hand slid down to her pocket where the stone was, and in that moment, he wrenched it out and tossed it aside. The stone's glow faded as it flew threw the air, landing with a 'thump' and rolling away into the tall grass.

The force of Rin's attack then knocked him off his feet and they both spiraled into the ground. Rin gasped as her claws retracted, and all her demon characteristics disappeared. The seduction of the stone was gone, as were the whispers. Her mind suddenly went dark, but then the spell of the stone relinquished its control over her, and the levees containing her memories broke bringing forth waves of recollection. Rin felt as though she would drown in them and she panted and gasped for air as they would not relent.

After a while, the flood subsided giving rise to but one clear image in her mind; that of Sesshomaru-sama standing tall amid a field of daisies. The wind picked up petals and blew them past his stoic profile. He turned to look at her with his age old, golden eyes. She felt lost in their meaning and wisdom. Eyes that were cold and unfeeling towards others had softened just for her. _Sukinishiro_, he said to her then.

_He is mononoke, you are human. The line cannot be crossed,_ said Ungai-sama in her mind. The image of the elderly monk scowled back at her. His eyes were so desperate to have her understand what he was saying. Rin, though small at the time, did understand what he was trying to say. The mortal boundary would always separate her from her Sesshomaru-sama. This was something she knew and accepted. She would not turn into a demon just to be forever by his side. Rin could not be happy being anything but herself.

_Rin-chan_, said Kagome-san to her once on a clear, sunny day, after Rin was allowed to share a delicious bento from the faraway land that Kagome hailed from. That was the day Rin discovered the delicious seasoning of "MSG" in a bowl of cup-ramen. Rin had stayed in Kagome's village for a brief period of time in her childhood. She had guessed that it was because Sesshomaru-sama wanted to have her sociallze with her own kind. In the end, Rin found that she was happiest when she was at his side.

_It's your life, _Kagome had said to her when Rin told her what Ungai-sama had said._ You should do what makes you happy._

At the time, Kagome had been talking of Rin's lifestyle of wandering around and getting into trouble, as opposed to returning to live in a human village. But simultaneously, she was also speaking of Rin's choice to remain with him. Kagome, above all other people, understood what was within Rin's heart, even from the beginning. It was when she met her that Rin realized not all people were bad. She and Kagome were kindred spirits.

_Rin_, said her mother before she passed away, _Smile. _Her mother had also wanted her to be happy. There was only one place where Rin could ever achieve this.

Wordlessly, Sesshomaru got up and walked quietly, and purposefully towards the stone that was now darkened and lying vulnerably in the dirt. Sesshomaru drew his sword and in one powerful arc the stone split in two. A flash of light colored the field and slowly, glowing orbs floated out of the stone, now freed from its spell, towards the sky. One exceptionally bright orb returned to Rin, who was lying silently in a heap on the ground, and it submerged and then disappeared into its rightful place. Sesshomaru watched quietly as three more floated above her, circling around her head several times before joining the others in the sky.

He then looked around and saw that Akiko was nowhere to be seen. Her presence was gone, leaving only the faint smell of perfume behind on the plain. All the better for her as Sesshomaru would have killed her himself if she lingered there any longer.

Rin opened her eyes and blinked a few times until her vision cleared. She looked down and saw that she was lying on the grass. Rin felt as though she had been asleep for ages, and just beyond her recollection were the contents of a pleasant dream of her family. They had spoken words to her, but she did not remember what they were. She only remembered them looking over her and smiling. But now, Sesshomaru-sama, who was staring back at her, was hovering over her on the ground. He said nothing but the look in his eyes reflected worry.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" asked Rin quizzically. Then it all came back to her. She gasped and noticed that he was still bleeding. A dark trail of blood had flowed down the once immaculate white kimono and formed a little pool around him. Quickly she got up and pulled at her sleeve, tearing it at the seams. She used it to absorb the blood by placing pressure on the wound and stop the bleeding.

"It is a good thing that you did not rupture something vital," he said with a grimace as he sat up straighter.

"You could have blocked it," said Rin quietly.

"I could not have blocked it without my sword."

"You should not have risked it," whispered Rin, flustered at her inability to control her actions and his indifference at suffering such an injury by her hand. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"There is nothing I would not have risked in that moment," he replied, looking up and brushing the tear from her eye with a finger. He mustered a half smile on his lips. Rin stared at him, trying to comprehend his thoughts. His expression told her that he cared deeply for her. In that moment she knew that if he was unable to save her, he would have killed her and died with her. She was speechless at the thought of a prince of demons having such profound feelings for her, a mere human.

"_Gomenasai_, Sesshomaru-sama. What I did to you was unforgivable," she said remorsefully. "Even as a ghost I would have been sad to have been the one who caused your death."

"It matters not," said Sesshomaru, his face nearly expressionless.

"It matters to _me_," responded Rin. After a pause, she added, "Please do not attempt such a thing again. If and when I die, I will find comfort even beyond the grave knowing that you care for me. That you will not forget me."

"I could not…, " began Sesshomaru. He paused to find the words. A small smile approached his lips. "_Baka no koto,_" he said plainly in a soft, deep voice that was almost a whisper, as he looked directly into her eyes. Rin could feel the blood and temperature rising in her face. She was once again pulled into his golden eyes and lost in their intended meaning.

* * *

Translation key:

Kire daiyou: so pretty

_Bakabakashi: ridiculous_

_Me wo samashite: wake up/open your eyes_

_Sukinishiro: do as you please (reference to scene in Taiyou tou Tsuki)_

_Baka no koto: what a foolish thing (to say)_


	11. Part 11, Kingyo Hanabi

I went into the wee hours of the night editing this story. I apologize for all the hopeless typographical errors in the original. It must not have been fun reading it like that. (bows in regret)

The title of this chapter is named after one of my favorite Ai Otsuka songs. It has a gentle melody that makes you remember the past and think about a longing love. Golfish and fireworks are the symbols of summer. Summer is often attributed as the time of love blossoming. I thought this would be a fitting end credit roll for this story. I realize that a lot of people were a little dissatisfied with the ending. I read it again recently and I thought, "Hey, I'm pretty sad that it ended there." Would it be too much to add another chapter? This chapter sort of stands alone though and it's uber fluffy. So take it or leave it, I guess.

-Kero

* * *

**Part Eleven: Kingyo Hanabi (Goldfish Fireworks)**

Jaken poured more wine into each of the wine cups making sure to not spill a drop of his master's finest. Little finger foods were laid out on fine dishes atop the flat face of a rock, with a fine linen sheet serving as a tablecloth. Resignedly, he bowed to them both and stepped back into the shadows, knowing that they did not wish to be disturbed. Tonight, the local town was releasing its fireworks for the first day of the summer solstice. And because _she_ wanted to see them, his lord would go to any lengths to make that happen.

Secretly, he was a little happy for the scruffy girl-child now turned fine young lady standing at Sesshomaru-sama's side. After all the grief she had caused him over the years, after all the troubles she had brought to Sesshomaru who uncanny knack for perfectly timing her rescues, she finally achieved what she wanted most. And for his illustrious lord, she had made him happier. Though demons did not have much use for things like kindness, love or happiness, whenever he was with her, Sesshomaru took on a beautiful, softened aura, much akin to the light given off by _kami_, or the benign gods. Jaken marveled at it whenever he had the chance to see it. It was at times like these that Jaken wondered if she had been right all along.

_Demons are born into darkness, but that doesn't mean they have to be evil. Surely there is more meaning to their lives than just killing and overthrow? Can they not also be happy?_

The voice of the scruffy girl-child echoed in his thoughts like a sweet, distant melody. Jaken sighed. For better or worse, this is what Sesshomaru-sama had chosen for himself; just as his sire Inu-Taisho had also chosen, and what his half-brother had chosen. Looking at the silhouette of his glorious Sesshomaru-sama, glowing in radiance separate from the light of the moon, standing next to the beautiful Rin with her flowing silken hair adorned with the golden pin his master had just gifted to her, Jaken could feel their happiness and completion. However long it would last, for human life was so very short in their terms, it would be as beautiful and brilliant as the fireworks that would soon light up the sky.

"Sesshomaru-sama," said Rin gently, turning her face away from him to hide her blush. He stood tall by her side, the warmth of his fur stole grazing the side of her hand. "Thank you for taking me here on my birthday. I'm surprised you remembered." She stole a glance toward him and found her looking at her with a gentle gaze. He said nothing and turned his head upward towards the stars. It never ceased to amaze her how beautiful he could be.

He was, however, not very conversational.

"I saw that someone had delivered many gifts to the front gate today. I've never seen such pretty fabrics," she said, continuing the conversation mostly for her own sake.

"They were sent as gifts to you," he said nonchalantly. Rin could not help but see the slight smile that curled upward on his countenance.

"M-me?" she stammered. "Who would--?"

"Some are from the neighboring inu clan."

"Akiko's clan?" she asked. At the mention of her name, his eyes flickered steel for a moment, and then relaxed again.

"An atonement, of sorts, from her father who had just been made aware of what trouble she has caused you."

"Made aware…" she thought aloud.

"I sent a message to him earlier. I have not yet decided if I will leave them be or kill them all. The latter would give me great pleasure." Rin could tell that he was serious. She immediately stepped closer to him and clutched his hand between hers.

"Sesshomaru-sama," she protested, wondering how she could change his mind. Never in all her life had she dared counsel him in anything, and she held herself back now, wondering if she would overstep some boundary.

His eyes were gentle once more as he looked down at her, a slightly amused look on his face and a raised eyebrow at her troubled expression. His hand found its way to her face in a sweet caress as it brushed aside a lock of her hair. Rin blushed at his sudden touch against her skin. For a moment she thought she was going to lose her balance.

"Do you not seek revenge against her?" he asked softly. She shook her head.

"I've already severed one of her arms. What more could I do to her?" she said quietly. "Now that my family's souls are free of the stone, I'm just glad that it's over. She ended up killing the man who killed my childhood, and I'm a little thankful. I'm not sure I would've been happy if I killed him. I've never killed anyone…" The thought of having bloodstained hands frightened her, and for a moment she felt a chill down her spine when she recalled the power of the stone.

His finger brushed over her trembling lower lip. She looked up into his golden eyes and all her fear disappeared in their warmth. Sesshomaru-sama would always be her protector.

"If you wished it, I can spare her life," he said. She nodded once affirmatively and he smiled. An amused smile spread across his lips. Rin marveled at the sight of it. She had never seen him smile like this before and her heart fluttered with happiness. Before she noticed, his hand cupped her chin and pulled her face closer to his.

"So innocent, so kind," he murmured as he bent his head down to kiss her. Her eyes went wide as his lips caressed hers and she suddenly felt as though her knees were giving out on her. Rin closed her eyes to savor the sweet sensation. Her head was a dizzy whirl of emotion and she really wondered if she was going to faint.

Before her legs gave out and she became a crumpled mass of silk on the grassy hill where they were standing, his hand quickly grasped her waist and he pulled her close to him to steady her. She looked up and saw the amusement in his eyes. He would never tire of her reactions during their intimate moments.

To keep herself from blushing furiously, Rin continued their conversation.

"You mentioned that some of the gifts were from the neighboring Inu clan. And the rest?" Rin asked as she found the feeling in her legs again and stood up on her own.

"From your cousin, Jun'ichiro," he said unemotionally, a little disappointed that she was not going to let him continue.

"From Jun?"

"His letter said that it was part of your dowry, as a ceremonial pre-wedding gift to me," answered Sesshomaru simply. He could feel her flush deeply from head to toe and he turned away to hide his amusement from her, lest he make her uncomfortable again.

"J-Jun," she said with a smile and gritted teeth. _You moron! Who told you to do that?_ she thought to herself as she clenched her fists.

"I had sent him a litter earlier as well, indicating that I would be your caretaker and protector henceforth, and that he should rest assured that you would hold the highest honored title by my side," he said calmly. Rin's body went a little weak.

_What…did you…?_

He looked at her fully now, no part of his countenance untrue. He took a step and leaned down to connect himself to her with another kiss. She closed her eyes and hoped that her legs would remain steady.

Just as their lips touched, the sky was illuminated with the golden sparks of the first fireworks of summer.

* * *

Ah, so fluffy…(sniff, sniff). Not too out of character I hope? I love this pair. I wanted to give them the happiest ending I could think of because, yes, her life will be beautiful like a _hanabi_ display, and Sesshomaru will fade away when she dies…yes, that's what I believe. But that's a whole other story.

-K (1/18/09)


End file.
